


Winx Club A Different Way: A Dragon Awakens

by RayeJ27



Category: Winx Club
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi, Other, Rewrite
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-18
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:27:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 85,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25975165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RayeJ27/pseuds/RayeJ27
Summary: Bloom thought she was just a normal girl from Earth with a boring life and her dreams of fairies and magic would remain just that: Dreams. That all changed when the fairy Stella entered her life at a smoothie shop.
Relationships: Bloom & Daphne (Winx Club), Bloom/Sky (Winx Club), Bloom/Stella (Winx Club), Brandon/Stella (Winx Club), Musa (Winx Club)/Original Character(s), Musa/Riven (Winx Club)
Comments: 30
Kudos: 77





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Well, here it is! I was going to wait a month or two before posting because I was so nervous but after some encouragement from a friend I decided to upload the first chapter (split into parts for reading consumption) and I hope you like it. Now a heads up, this a rewrite meaning a lot has been changed. I don't know if you'd call it a rewrite or alternate universe but you'll see when you start reading.
> 
> Some of you may be wondering, why do this especially now? The answer, I've just always had these what-if stories in my head for Winx club and wanted to give a shot, but it mostly began to grow with the Nick dub which wasn't great, but okay and I just wanted to fix some issues the show never addressed, changed or did poorly along with the original dubs. Think of this as a reboot I guess. It all kind of started with me thinking "What if Bloom was a Goth?" and it led to character building, world building and changes that fit perfectly for a reboot. One day I just sat down and started typing and well this is what I had.
> 
> Now it didn't start out easy, a fanfiction.net user called ArchCobra let me use his chapters as like... what's the word, like I could use parts of them to write and then I practice on my own. I had tons of betas, (Cat-Calli and Kinky Wings being two people who helped me out a lot) who I'd love to thank if you ever see this and I apologize for all my temper and anger issues I've had towards them because at the time I was writing this I wasn't mentally well and didn't know it and it wasn't until last year I finally got help and I'm STILL working on myself. I've hurt a lot of people, but I'm changing and well... I thought this was a good start since I spent 5 years writing this and never posted it out of fear of negativity. 
> 
> Although I don't respond greatly to it, I will take any comments, opinions, or concerns if you like or dislike this story and there will be more to come. All right, that's enough for now, enjoy the chapter.
> 
> Bye ya'll

Chapter 1: A Dragon Awakens Part 1

Gardenia was a picturesque city hugged by a sparkling ocean and pristine sandbars. It was the type of place that, though less popular than the usual tourist hotspot, was memorable to all who visited and lived there. Though whether that was good or bad tended to vary based on who you asked, since it was known as “City of the Weird”. Nonetheless, Gardenia opened its arms to whoever came to visit.

In the suburbs of Gardenia lived the Mason family, consisting of Mike, Vanessa, and their teenage daughter, Bloom. They had been living in an average-sized two-story house for the last fifteen years, shortly after Bloom had become a part of their family.

Ever since she was in middle school, Bloom had always seen beauty in the grim and occult, whether it be through music, nature, or art. Her work was dark, darker in tone than others her age were usually comfortable with, and the subject matter often mixed beauty with gloom, creating enchanting, mysterious pieces. This also explained why she loved fantasy movies, especially the ones enchanted in magic and sorcery. Her status as an aspiring artist also meant that she spent most of her time buried between her sizable collection of sketch pads. She had her room on the second floor with dark teal walls covered by a mix of her sketches. They showcased majestic landscapes, forests, parks, beaches, and fairytale characters such as elves, trolls, witches, and fairies.

On a sunny Thursday morning in the middle of July, the girl was sound asleep in her bed, snuggled underneath her comforter with her curly orange-red hair spread messily over her pillow. An orange and white Maine Coon cat was sprawled out on top of the lump she made, soundly sleeping as well. They both could have slept there all day if an obnoxiously cheerful voice hadn't awoken them.

"Wake up pumpkin! The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and it's the start of a new day!" her mother joyfully said as she yanked open the curtain to let sunlight brighten the room.

Bloom growled from underneath her comforter. "Get out!" She muttered indignantly, still half asleep, wishing to get at least an hour more under the covers.

Vanessa ignored her daughter while she calmly skipped over to the bed. She was a soft-spoken, slender woman with olive skin and neck length chestnut hair. A mischievous expression danced across her face as she regarded the lump peeking out of the mattress. She patted it gently. "Sweetie, get out of bed. You can't waste your time sleeping all day."

Sluggishly, Bloom tossed a pillow at her mother but missed by an inch before mumbling something unintelligible.

Vanessa simply smiled at the lump. "You're going to be late."

"Late?" Bloom said, confused.

She pushed back the covers from her head and wiped a spot of drool from the corner of her mouth, glancing over at her bedside alarm clock. It took a few seconds for her mind to register the time before her eyes widened. With a yelp, she tumbled out of bed, knocking the sleeping cat onto the floor. "Crap, I'm late to school!" she panicked, racing around the room. The redhead frantically threw her closet doors open and grabbed a wrinkled hoodie while searching for a pair of pants to wear.

Her mother kept watching her, trying to hold back laughter.

"Why didn't you guys wake me up? Why didn't the alarm go off? God, I can't believe this, I've never been this late be- wait a minute." Bloom froze while trying to make herself look presentable and put on a pair of jeans at the same time. "It's the middle of July," she said, realization dawning on her face. "School's out." Her cheeks turned bright red as her eyes shifted towards her mother who had a wide grin on her face. "Mom, not funny!"

"Wow, seventeen seconds, that's much better than last years’ time," Vanessa giggled. "You always fall for that and it's funny every time."

"No, it's not," Bloom grumbled, picking up the startled orange cat off the floor. "I was trying to sleep."

"If you hadn't fallen asleep at four in the morning, you wouldn't be so tired," Vanessa argued, patting her daughter on the back. "What were you doing anyway?"

"Just getting some reading done," Bloom replied, stroking her cat. "I might've lost track of time."

Vanessa shook her head as her eyes shifted to a book on the floor. She picked it up to examine the cover then frowned. "'Fairies, Witches, and Warlocks: Myth or Reality?' Really, Bloom?" the woman raised an eyebrow. "Don't you ever get tired of reading about these silly mythical creatures?”

"No, they may be silly mythical creatures to you, but I find them interesting," Bloom defended, letting out a small yawn. 

"Uh-huh," Vanessa said. "Well, breakfast is ready and getting cold. I made your favorite - whole wheat pancakes."

Bloom groaned in a manner that was supposed to sound annoyed, but it disappeared when her mom kissed her on the cheek. She tried to hide her amused smile. As Vanessa left the room, she placed the cat back on the bed and gently rubbed his head causing him to purr before closing his eyes, "Sorry for knocking you on the floor Kiko, Again."

She chuckled to herself before getting dressed, albeit this time at a reasonable pace. She searched through a pile of dirty and clean clothes mixed together at the bottom of her closet to find something to wear. She managed to pull out a navy-blue t-shirt, a pair of black jeans, and black combat boots. She applied her makeup in shades of purple and black and finished off the look with a red headband.

Once her regular ensemble was completed, Bloom went downstairs to the kitchen and sat down next to her father. "Morning, dad."

Her dad, Mike, who was currently busy reading the day's paper was a tall and muscular man with blonde hair and a fondness for light colors, unlike his daughter. Mike and Bloom were complete opposites of each other, from music to hobbies, yet they were both as headstrong as could be.

"Morning, pumpkin," he greeted back. "Want the comic section?"

Bloom held out her hand. "I always do."

Her father pulled the page with the newspaper comics and passed it over towards his daughter. She folded the paper in half and started reading.

Her mom, who had just arrived with a dish full of pancakes and sausages, had a wide grin across her face as she sat down next to her husband.

Mike's eyes stayed fixed on the newspaper as he asked, "So, when can Shelia watch the flower shop?"

"Not until the twenty-first," Vanessa replied, fixing her own plate. "She's visiting her grandmother in Oregon."

Bloom frowned, lowering her paper. "You're not going to make me spend half the summer working in that flower shop again, are you? All that pollen makes me lightheaded."

"I know you don't like it there, but it's not that bad, and you always manage to make a sale," Vanessa pleaded.

"What do you expect from a charming girl like our Bloomington?" Mike added, a little too sweetly.

"Thanks, but I'd rather spend time with dad at the fire station," Bloom said, continuing to read the comics section, eyes now skimming over this week’s comic strip. She wasn’t going to fall for it.

Mike laughed. "Gee, thanks."

Vanessa sighed. "Fine, I'll work at the shop by myself until Sophia returns. I've done it for five years; a few weeks won't slow me down," she said, cutting into her pancake. "After that, we can plan out our annual family trip!"

"Great," Mike said, pleased. "I can tell my boss when we'll be going on vacation. He's been curious since he knows we go on trips this time of the month."

Bloom groaned. "Do we have to go back to that beach resort again?" she asked while drizzling chocolate syrup on top of her pancakes.

"Yeah, we've gone there every summer, why would we change that?" Mike replied, staring at his daughter’s chocolate syrup coated pancake. After noticing his daughter's slightly unhappy expression, he asked, "Is something wrong?"

"It's just that we've gone to that beach since…" Bloom thought about it for a moment as she took a bite from her chocolate-covered pancakes. "Since I was born, I think."

Vanessa waved her hand. "You're overexaggerating." 

"No, I'm not. Ever since I can remember, the one place we always go to in the middle of the summer is that beach resort and it sucks," Bloom reasoned. "Every time we go, bad things happen to me and no, I'm not exaggerating. Bad stuff literally happens to me every time we go. I always get sunburnt or a rash from the sand, the jellyfish sting me, it's too hot, and the bugs love biting me. And remember last year’s shark scare?”

Mike and Vanessa’s faces turned the same shade of red. That incident had left them stranded in the ocean in a boat for six hours.

"I thought you loved going to the beach," said her mother, concerned.

"It's okay, but it gets boring after the fifteenth trip to the same beach house at the same beach." Bloom poked at her syrup infused pancake with a fork. "All my other friends are going on exciting trips for the summer. Rocky's going to Vegas, Juji's going to Hawaii, Selina's headed off to Comic-Con, and… Mitzi won't shut up about going on this big ski trip by herself!"

"We didn't know you felt this way," Mike said, starting to sympathize with his daughter’s rant.

Bloom's eyes shifted toward her father. "You seriously never noticed me telling you how much I hated that beach?"

"We thought you were joking," Mike sheepishly replied.

Vanessa nodded with a shrug. "Well, do you have a place in mind?"

"Maybe…" Bloom said, pushing her pancakes around with her fork.

"What is it?" Mike asked curiously.

"Well, if you really want to know," Bloom paused, placing her fork down with a flourish of excitement on her face. "The Python Insanity Extravaganza!” When she was simply met with silent stares from her parents she continued. "It'll be the biggest event in the band's history! There will be music, tons of events, great food, and tons of booths. They'll be playing in Washington so it's not too far a drive. You’ll like this next part. If we get tickets now, we can get the hotel gold package which will cover all the expenses."

Vanessa and Mike both shared the same incredulous look before simultaneously asking, "How much?"

Bloom paused, trying to remember the price she had seen for the tickets online for a few seconds then sheepishly answered, "Only… three hundred and fifty dollars.”

Mike's nearly spat out his coffee as Vanessa’s eyes widened comically.

"To see a concert?!" her dad exclaimed.

"It's not just a concert," Bloom said, trying to defend the price. "It's an extravaganza!"

"Isn’t Python Insanity that band that literally screams about death and destruction in almost every song?” Mike asked, his eyebrow raised. “Why would we want to be around that?”

“Th- they talk about more than that,” Bloom spluttered. “Sometimes they’ll talk about revolution and having fun. You don’t know them. You’re just saying that because you don’t like rock music.”

“That may be true,” Mike agreed. “But what I’m getting at is that this extravaganza concert thing doesn’t seem like a family vacation. It seems like a ‘you’ vacation.”

“There’s plenty of fun activities for all of us to do there,” Bloom reasoned. “I even heard there’s going to be a tattoo tent.”

Mike rested his chin in his hand, staring at his daughter, “Really?” he said in a deadpan tone.

“Yeah,” Bloom replied, flashing him a nervous smile. “So…”

Mike rested back in his chair before saying, “We’re not going. And before you ask, no, you can’t go by yourself.”

Bloom slumped back in her chair, the smile slipping into a scowl. She could feel a burning sensation in her chest but chose to ignore it as to not have an outburst. “This is so unfair. Why can’t you treat me like an adult?”

"You're only sixteen. That means you're still our little girl and we're not letting you go to a random concert by yourself," Mike replied. "And even if your mom and I wanted to step foot at that 'extravaganza', we still couldn't afford it."

“Whatever,” Bloom mumbled, gaining a glare from her father. Bloom felt like she and her dad could never agree on anything and this was just another coin in the well of things they'd argue about.

“Don’t act like that, Bloom,” Vanessa scolded. “Your father’s right. It would be nice to go somewhere else but going to the beach is cheaper and still fun. You get that, right, sweetie?"

"Yeah, sure," Bloom said, shoving a pancake in her mouth to hold back her angry grumbles. "You said that last year, and the year before that and the year before that, too."

Vanessa sighed with a small smile before saying, "If it makes you feel any better, we did get you something special."

“Something special?” Bloom asked through a mouth full of pancakes and a raised eyebrow. She stared at both her smiling parents.

"Let's just say we got you a little something to help you get around Gardenia faster," Mike replied.

Bloom's face lit up with a big smile as she visibly restrained herself from choking on her breakfast. "Did you really get it?"

Her parents both nodded.

Bloom swallowed while wiping the chocolate sauce off her lips. She pushed back her seat and stood up. "Well, don't keep me waiting!"

***

"Is this necessary?" asked Bloom as she was led outside, her vision obscured completely by her father’s warm hands about her face.

"Yes, it's a surprise," her dad said joyfully. "And there it is!" With that, he removed his hands.

In front of them was a new bicycle. It was bright red with a black helmet hanging from one of the handles. A straw basket was in front that was filled with what Bloom suspected were flowers and fruits from her mom's store. Bloom stared at the bike for what felt like a solid minute, unsure of how to react without disappointing her parents.

"Nice, huh?" Mike asked.

"I honestly don't know what to say," Bloom muttered as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

"I already know what you're going to say," Mike replied happily, placing his arm around Bloom's shoulder. "Thanks, mom and dad, for the really, really cool bike. You are totally awesome.'"

Bloom remained silent, still pinching her nose.

Vanessa studied her daughter's face carefully, seeing her daughter's eager anticipation go to disappointment in a flash. After another second, the redhead turned around to give her parents a hug while saying, "Gee, thanks, guys. It's nice."

"I'm glad you like it," Vanessa said.

‘I don't hate it, so that's a plus,’ Bloom thought. "I think I'll try it out and go to the park,” she sighed in resignation. “Kiko might like that."

"That sounds good," her mother agreed. With that, Mike and Vanessa watched as their daughter dejectedly walked back into the house.

"Look at that, she doesn't even know what to say!" Mike said, turning to his wife.

"I guess, but don't you think she seemed to want something more … sophisticated?"

"Like a bike with a speedometer?" Mike asked.

Vanessa sighed. "No, Mike. It's obvious she wanted a Vespa. Did you never notice the hints she gave us since Christmas?”

“She left hints?” He asked, legitimately confused.

Venessa let out another sigh. “Maybe we could save up some money for one and give it to her for her birthday in December."

Mike scratched the back of his neck. "I'm not so sure about that; Vespa’s are pretty dangerous. I heard the neighbor's son got a Vespa and-"

"We can't always base our decisions on stories and what-ifs. If we did, we'd never let her leave the house, you know that sweetie," she said, smiling and looping her arm around her husband's. "Plus, it's a Vespa, not a motorcycle."

"That's true. I'm just worried, you know," Mike said. "She's almost an adult and I-"

Vanessa cut him off. "I get it. Now shush, she's coming back down."

Bloom walked back outside, cradling her orange cat with a messenger bag slung over her shoulder. She placed Kiko in the basket along with her bag and hopped on the bike. She placed the black helmet on her head before waving her parents goodbye. As she began cycling down the road, she heard her dad call out, "Ride carefully and be back by six!"

"Whatever," she called back, sticking out her tongue.

"He'll never change," Bloom said sadly to Kiko while cycling. "Dad won't ever let me ride anything faster than this bike. I'm surprised he got me this. At least they got me something. Besides, it's the thought that counts."

As Bloom cycled towards the park, she pedaled past rows upon rows of local stores: her mom's flower shop, the grocer, Panera bread, and that new herbal store run by a cute old Wiccan couple. A few of the usual hipsters filed out the door, but no one gave them a second glance. This was just a normal day in Gardenia.

She spotted a group of her classmates talking while gathered on the side of the street. She curiously cycled over to see what was going on, and, at the center of attention, presenting her new hot pink Vespa, stood a girl with long black hair and dark blue pointy glasses. She had on a yellow-green tank top and yellow capris. It was Mitzi Vega, Bloom's worst enemy.

"It's too bad I won't have a chance to use it this month since I'll be going on a ski trip, by myself. Such a shame," Mitzi said in a dramatic tone, obviously enjoying every second of attention she was receiving. "I hope no one steals it while I'm on my solo ski trip."

Seeing Mitzi showing off her new Vespa sparked a twinge of jealousy in Bloom. "Of course, she got a Vespa. Of course, she did,” she mumbled. "If I just ride away quietly, maybe I can-"

"Oh, hey, Bloom," Mitzi greeted, spotting the silent redhead.

"Hey, Mitzi," Bloom awkwardly greeted back, stepping off her bicycle. "Nice Vespa. When did you get it?"

"Like, this very morning, it was a gift from my parents before I went on my ski trip," Mitzi replied, petting the thing like it was her pet. "But, it's not just any Vespa. This is high quality, top model, and, like, very expensive."

"Which model is it?" Bloom asked.

Mitzi opened her mouth, about to answer, paused for a moment, then started checking the scooter for the model name.

"Yup, this sure is some super high quality, expensive scooter if you forget what the model is," Bloom joked.

"Very funny," the black-haired girl said sarcastically. "And for your information, it's a Vespa Primavera," she replied, finally finding the model name. "Bet you don't know what your brand is — oh, you have a bike?"

Bloom nervously chuckled at Mitzi's sudden realization of her mode of transportation.

"Yeah, just got it today," she replied. "It even came with flowers and a little cat." Kiko immediately popped his head out from the basket, chewing on a flower.

"Seriously, your parents got you a bike?" Mitzi asked, stunned. "Did they not want their poor little Bloom on a dangerous Vespa? How tragic.”

The group of teens chuckled but Bloom only rolled her eyes. She wasn't going to let anything Mitzi said to her ruin her day, even if she had hit the bullseye. She and Mitzi had a love-hate relationship and Bloom knew well how to defend herself.

"Neither. I wanted a bike, so they got me one," Bloom shrugged. "Plus, Vespas are pretty dangerous. What if my poor Kiko got hurt?" She gently scratched the quiet cat's head, making him purr softly.

Mitzi smirked, shaking her head. "You and that cat. Is that, like, your only friend?"

"You're critiquing me on who I'm friends with?" Bloom smirked back, knowing how close Mitzi was to her own pet dog. "That's rich. Anyway, when will you be going on this extravagant vacation?"

"Plane leaves tomorrow morning," Mitzi answered with a carefree smile. "What about you, Bloom? Wait, don't answer." She paused, making an exaggerated thinking pose. "After careful thought, I've, like, de- deduced you'll be going to that same old funky beach resort, huh?"

Bloom refused to answer, only letting out an exhausted huff. This confirmed Mitzi's suspicions, making her clap her hands eagerly. Bloom held her head down avoiding eye contact with the group.

"I knew it!" she giggled. “You are just so plain, Bloom. Same old trip every summer. Such a sad way to spend your time off.”

"You got me. Good job, Mitzi. I would give you a cookie, but I don’t carry dog treats,” Bloom shot back, making Mitzi's group chuckle as her nemesis fumed silently. “Anyways, you have a fun vacation.”

"You too," Mitzi said, "Try not to get sunburned again, or else you’ll peel like a dragon, you fantasy obsessed freak.”

“Try not to break your leg on those skis,” Bloom shot back as she sulked back to her bike. She could feel a heat rising in her chest, it usually came when she got bothered by people like Mitzi, but she suppressed it as best as she could. "I should get going; Kiko and I are headed to the Frutti Music Bar. Got to try that new Triple Berry Blast Smoothie before I head to the park, ain’t that right Kiko?” Kiko turned towards Bloom while nibbling on a flower. Bloom simply scratched his head with a smile.

“Whoa, exciting,” Mitzi said, sarcastically spinning a finger in the air. “Ta-ta, Bloom, I’ll send you a postcard from the slopes.”

Bloom smiled curtly before turning away, mumbling under her breath before hopping back on her bike. Saying her farewells to the rest of the group she cycled down the path towards the Frutti Music Bar.

***

The Frutti Music Bar was a popular hangout spot. It served smoothies, shakes, and healthy snacks while also providing entertainment by bands and solo acts. Pictures were placed on the walls with spring and nature themes. They were known to serve some of the best drinks in Gardenia, including their new themed smoothies. Bloom just had to grab the new TBBS before she headed to the park since she had heard a dozen rave reviews about it.

She parked her bicycle at a bike rack and adjusted her messenger bag around her shoulder before hopping off.

“I’ll be back. Kiko. Guard the bike.” She gestured towards the bicycle to make sure her cat understood. He meowed back at her. Despite the fact that Bloom knew he was more likely to fall asleep rather than do any actual guarding, she gave him a scratch on the head.

She entered the smoothie bar and walked towards the counter where she spotted the owner’s young magenta haired daughter, Roxy, chatting with a girl with long blonde hair and a bright yellow and orange sleeveless dress. All the other workers seemed to be busy, so Bloom approached Roxy. It also didn’t hurt that she knew her personally. 

Bloom tried to get the pink-haired girl’s attention, but her attempts failed. Roxy was too busy eagerly discussing a funny anecdote, while the blonde quietly sipped from her tall pink smoothie. Bloom couldn’t help but feel ignored as the two girls talked.

“So,” Roxy said, leaning over the counter. “Sharon tried to load up all seven of the glasses at once, and then she got her stiletto stuck on one of the bar chairs. As you can imagine, she tripped.”

The other girl laughed, nearly spitting out her smoothie. “That’s what she gets for wearing stilettos!” She pulled her left hand up to her mouth, and Bloom noticed a shiny blue and yellow ring on it.

Bloom raised an eyebrow when she heard the blonde girl speak. She had nothing against the girl, but what surprised her was how proper and chipper her English was. The redhead expected a girl with purple eyeshadow and pink lipstick to speak in a valley girl accent, but instead, it was British.

Bloom cleared her throat, gaining the girls’ attention, “I hate to interrupt, but I’d really like to order something.”

Roxy gasped. “I’m so sorry, Bloom. I’ve been really distracted today. It’s super busy and dad’s on an important business trip, so he left me in charge while he’s gone. I think I’m doing a pretty good job.”

Bloom chuckled. “You do seem to be keeping the place in one piece, but the last time your dad went on a ‘important business trip’ my dad found him camping in the woods while smoking weed and playing the bongos.”

The blonde chuckled loudly, nearly spitting out her smoothie.

“We don’t talk about that,” Roxy said, her eyes darting away in embarrassment while her cheeks turned a bright red. “This time he’s actually off at a business meeting and won’t be back until tomorrow. Now, what can I do for ya?”

“Well,” Bloom started, placing her hands on the counter, nearly knocking over the girl’s smoothie. The blonde let out an annoyed huff, which Bloom simply ignored. “I’d like to try one of your Triple Berry Blast Smoothies, to-go.”

“Yes, another patron of the TBBS! Those things have been selling like hotcakes! My new customer just ordered one.” Roxy motioned towards the blonde who had been quietly sipping away on the tall berry mixture.

Upon noticing both girls’ attention on her, the blonde happily pulled away from her drink. “Ah, yes, I have, and it is brill,” she complimented, a slight twang to her voice.

“I love when you say fancy stuff like that,” Roxy complimented, causing the blonde to blush. “Bloom, this is my new friend, uh…”

“Just call me Stel,” Stel replied.

“Bloom, this is my new friend, Stel. Stel, this is my friend and best customer, Bloom,” Roxy introduced the two to each other. Bloom turned towards the blonde, who wiggled her fingers politely in greeting.

“The one with the band?” the blonde asked. “From what this adorable server girl has told me, you used to be in quite the popular rock band. Insipid Wishbone, was it?”

‘Server girl?’ Bloom wondered in her head. She had rarely seen anyone talk this proper or refer to a waitress as a server girl. "Um, Insect Wishbone. It wasn’t really popular. Roxy is definitely exaggerating there, we just played here a couple of times last year.”

“Oh, really? Odd name either way,” the blonde said before taking another long sip from her drink. “Hopefully you didn’t play any music that was as weird as your name.”

“No, we didn’t,” Bloom replied, “Just mostly covers of pop songs.” She felt old anger rise up. Memories of her bandmates shooting down her requests looped in her mind like a broken projector. “Anyways, I don’t like to talk about it.”

“With a name like that, I can see why,” Stel jested.

Bloom raised an eyebrow, slightly offended.

“You guys were so awesome though,” Roxy said. “My dad said he’d be totally okay with you guys playing again.”

“That’s not happening anytime soon,” Bloom said, her face squirming in disgust. “I don’t want to be rude, but can you start making that smoothie?”

“Coming right up!” Roxy said, spinning on her heel and walking over to a blender to start mixing the drink.

“In a rush?” the blonde questioned.

“Kind of,” Bloom answered. “I’ve got errands to run, people to see, the usual.”

“Such a shame you aren’t playing tonight. I could’ve given you a few recs, like playing something more, what’s the word, poppy,” Stel giggled. “I do love a good bubbly pop song over rock. It’s all such incessant noise.”

“Really,” Bloom said, leaning her elbow on the countertop. “I’m not into that, what was it you mentioned, rave music myself or ‘poppy’ music. It’s such an incessant noise to me.”

“Right,” Stel smiled, taking a final sip from a smoothie. “Well, love, it’s a terrible shame your band isn’t a thing anymore. Now, what will I give you advice on?” Stel lazily eyed Bloom’s ensemble. “Quite an interesting look you got there, especially the boots. Going for Van Gogh minus the missing ear?”

Bloom rolled her eyes internally. So, this was how she wanted to play?

“Thanks for the compliment!” she said with a faux chipper tone. “And no, it was more Avant-Garde inspired. What about you? Trying out a preppy look?”

The blonde flashed a smile before breaking out in laughter. “As a matter of fact, yes. This is the height of fashion from where I’m from, and I must say it does wonders for my complexion.”

Bloom gave her an incredulous look before letting a small smile form on her lips. She had to admit, it was fun interacting with this strange girl, despite her initial misgivings.

“One TBBS served!” Roxy announced, placing the smoothie in front of Bloom. Bloom absent-mindedly twirled the straw about while she and the blonde continued chatting. She had to admit; the girl was intriguing. She could see why Roxy was so focused on her before.

“Well, I’ve been here long enough,” Stel reached into a side pocket on her long dress, much to the surprise of Bloom, and handed over a couple of small, gold looking coins to Roxy. “I sadly do have actual errands to run and people to see.”

“Leaving already? I thought you’d have more insults about my outfit,” Bloom said.

“Oh, darling, trust me, I wasn’t insulting your look,” Stel said, hopping off the bar stool. “Though, maybe on my next visit, I can give you proper tips on how to vamp up your style.”

“If I ever have the misfortune of running into you again,” Bloom smirked.

“Brilliant,” the blonde sarcastically said with a curt smile.

“Before you go, I was wondering, where are you from?” Bloom quickly asked. To her surprise, the blonde froze for a moment. “I can’t quite place it. It sounds British, but not as well. Which part of Europe are you from?”

The blonde eased up a bit before giggling. “Oh, sweetie. Is there even a point in saying it? It’s too complicated for you to understand. Just think what you think. Bye!” She swiftly left the bar, taking large strides in her platform heels.

“What a weirdo,” Bloom said, turning to Roxy.

“She’s just... eccentric,” replied Roxy as she examined the strange coins Stel handed her. “She seems nice though.”

“You and I have a different definition of nice,” Bloom said. “She didn’t even say where she’s from, just that it’s too complicated to understand. I got a feeling she’s secretly from New Jersey.”

“Well wherever she’s from, they have strange currency,” Roxy said, giggling. “I can’t even guess what these are made of.”

Bloom laughed. “Fitting.” She grabbed her smoothie, taking a quick sip from the cup before handing over her own payment to Roxy. “Anyways, I’ve got to go. See ya, Rox.”

“Bye,” Roxy eagerly waved goodbye. Bloom turned on her heel and quietly left the music bar. She hopped back on her bike where Kiko was continuing to snack on flowers. She scratched the cat’s head then cycled down the road near the park.

***

The park was a large and well-kept place that was considered by many of the town’s citizens to be the pride of the town. Almost every townsperson had contributed to help make the park nice, Bloom's mom donating several plants from her own shop over the years. Her parents had always taken her there when she was little.. Not for the first time in her life, Bloom was reminded of why she loved the park so much. It was a field of green and yellow and pink, a vibrant arena of beauty and life. The cool summer breeze felt sublime against Bloom's skin. In her bicycle basket, Kiko purred happily, feeling a similar sense of relaxation. Today the park was mostly empty, so it was easy for Bloom to find a secluded, quiet spot shaded by trees for the pair to rest in.

After parking her bicycle, she searched for her usual sketching spot underneath a large tree. With a happy sigh, she sat down and pulled out her sketchbook and pencils.

Kiko plopped down beside her as she silently hummed to herself.

"Sometimes, I wish mom and dad would take me on a vacation somewhere other than that beach resort. They don't seem to understand I hate it there," she said to her pet whilst sketching a goblin. "It's so obvious they want to go someplace else, too. Sure, a vacation to Washington or New York isn't cheap, but going to the same place, again and again, is boring." Bloom paused, nibbling on her pencil. "Still, we could get to New York on a budget. We wouldn't have much to do.

"I just can't go back to that beach. If I get stung by another jellyfish, I'm going to scream." Her pencil flew off track as she remembered the agony of jellyfish stings. She groaned at the line, carefully erasing it. "Maybe if dad gets a promotion or a raise at work, it could happen. Or maybe mom's shop might get really popular. After all, who doesn't love flowers?” She paused, raising the pencil to her chin. “Okay, I don't, but others do. I could help her set up a Facebook page to attract more people. What do you think, Kiko?"

She looked down at her cat, who was sprawled out across the soft grass trying to find the perfect way to take his nap.

Bloom gently stroked his nose. "Aw, I guess you're happy as long as you get a nap, huh?"

She grinned and went back to her drawing as her pet took his daily nap. Bloom tapped the pencil on her chin as she stared at the picture in her sketchbook. She had too many ideas swimming around in her mind and she wasn’t sure which to focus on. After thinking them over, she finally decided on drawing her version of a fairy. The novel she read last night had given her great ideas for one.

Almost an hour passed, and Bloom was adding the finishing touches on her artwork. She stared at it in pride. She did not abide by the stereotype of fairies being delicate, having flower petals as dresses, and needing a wand. Instead, she designed them with modern clothing that was suitable for flying. Instead of the typical pastel colors, she gave them dark shades instead. Overall, she was very pleased with the outcome.

She started packing up her supplies, almost ready to leave. Suddenly, a beastly roar echoed throughout the park, causing the trees to ripple. It was unlike anything she had ever heard before. Before Bloom could react, a shriek followed up the echo. Kiko immediately jumped into her arms, shaking in fear.

"What was that?" she asked in alarm. Scrambling to her feet, she clutched Kiko to her chest. Several strange sounds echoed out from the forest, but what shocked Bloom the most was the panicked screaming that accompanied the sounds.

Bloom frantically searched through her bag before realizing she left her cell phone at home. She stomped her foot in anger before dropping everything and placing Kiko in the basket to keep him safe.

Without a second thought, she raced through the thicket of the woods. As she ran, the growls and screams grew louder and more erratic. She spotted a nearby glade through the trees and what she saw stunned her. The girl Bloom had met earlier was standing there, but she looked bloody and bruised. That wasn’t even addressing her new outfit.

She wasn't in the dress she had on before. Instead, she now had on a sparkly orange one-shoulder crop top that exposed her midriff, matching short shorts, and knee-high boots. The top was slightly torn, scratches visible on her arms and legs. Her hair was in two long pigtails, accompanied by an orange headband. She was grasping on a long blue and white staff with a sun motif on the top, trying to support her trembling legs. What made Bloom blink twice was the girl's big, blue-teal sparkling wings sticking out from her back. She quickly hid behind one of the trees, unsure of what she saw. Her eyes had to be playing tricks on her, right?

With a horrible screech, a large black and red creature with long, jagged claws and sharp fangs darted at the blonde. The girl jumped back as quickly as she could. With a desperate swing from her staff, she hit the creature on its side. "Rising Sun!" She yelled. A burst of energy emerged from the staff, sending the beast thrashing to the ground with a thud. It gurgled before vanishing into thin air.

Bloom could see a mix of blood and sweat drop from the girl's chin as she breathed heavily. The girl put a hand over her chest then wiped her sweaty forehead.

"Whoa, she defeated it with…" Bloom paused. "Laser beams?"

"Give us the scepter, little girl,” a deep, rasping voice growled, interrupting Bloom’s thoughts. “Or my ghouls will pry it from your cold, dead hands."

Stel nervously took a few steps back as her eyes widened in fear at the sight in front of her. Bloom followed her stare and she realized why she was so terrified. On the opposite side of the glade, surrounded by a dozen small black creatures, stood a massive green, yellow, and brown humanoid monster covered in enormous pulsating muscles and warts. The creature was slightly hunched over with two beady black eyes, long yellow nails, a set of brown overalls, and a short untrimmed beard.

"Yo- you'll never take the Scepter of Solaria, you hideous barmy!" Stel exclaimed, trying to sound intimidating. "You and your ghouls better stand down or feel the true power of the Sun and Moon fairy!"

“Fairy?” Bloom whispered in shock. She quickly raised her hand to her mouth as she bit her bottom lip. She wanted to help but wasn’t sure what she could do, or even if she should. She hated to admit it, but she was way out of her league here. 

"Suit yourself." The beast smiled evilly before grunting out orders in an unfamiliar language. The small red creatures hissed; Bloom found herself holding her breath in fear as they charged at the girl.

The blonde didn't look fearful though, as she calmly held up her hand. "Solar Wind!" She shouted. A strong gust of wind seemed to escape from the girl's hand, causing the creatures to fall back and roll on the grass, trying desperately to regain their balance.

Before they could recover, the blonde positioned her staff at the creatures. "Solar Beam!" she said. Her staff shot out a single searing, bright beam of light, bisecting three of the creatures. Yep, definitely laser beams. Another creature hurled itself at the girl with its mouth wide open, but she casually fired another beam straight down its throat. The creature fell to the ground, and along with the other three monsters, dissolving into glittering dust.

One more attempted to grab her by the waist, but the blonde casually drove the butt of her staff into the red creature’s stomach, causing it to topple over. Then, with a swing of her staff, she stabbed the creature, causing it to vanish as well.

Bloom found herself anxiously biting her lip again as the creatures vanished into glittering dust, leaving only four crowded around the beast. She had never seen creatures like this in real life before, only in cartoons. She most certainly never expected to see someone fighting them. Only a few hours ago she was chatting it up with Stel at the music bar and now she was watching her fight strange creatures with magic. Oh, and she had wings sticking out of her back, but that was beside the point. Despite her desire to help, Bloom tucked herself behind the tree. She still had no clue what to do. She didn’t have any special powers.

"Do you want to wrap this up now?" she heard the girl ask. "Or would you like to have your huge pus-filled arse beaten too?"

The massive humanoid looked around, displeased with the destruction of its little henchmen. The corner of its eyes started turning red and it began breathing heavily.

The blonde relished this and slowly held up her bloody hand while trying to hold herself up on her staff. With one index finger, she egged on the monster to attack her. It let out an angry roar and charged at her at an alarming speed.

Stel barely managed to evade the beast by throwing herself to the side as the creature's ham-sized fist swung through the air at where her head had been moments ago. It tripped and smashed into a tree, snapping it in half. The girl tumbled to the grass, wincing in pain. She scrambled away as the massive beast turned and tried to crush her with its massive-sized foot. Instead of crushing her, it left an impressively large dent on the ground with such force that Bloom could feel it in her legs.

"If you try anything like that again, I will annihilate you with a light bomb!" she warned. Despite her boldness though, it was obvious from her body trembling that she wasn't nearly as confident as she tried to sound.

The vomit-colored creature merely glared at her, as if deciding how to defeat the staff-wielding fairy. The girl slowly backed away as it kept coming closer. Bloom spotted two red creatures sneaking up behind the blonde, preparing to jump the girl.

“STEL, BEHIND YOU!” Bloom yelled, jumping out from her hiding spot.

The blonde turned to notice the creatures, who immediately hissed at her. She instantly fired a blinding flash of light that made the creatures recoil back.

Bloom was relieved until she noticed the massive humanoid commanding the red monsters to charge at her instead. She tried to get away, but one of the creatures latched itself onto her leg, sending them both to the ground. The creature began to dig its claws deep into her upper thigh. Blood began trickling from the scars.

"HOLY SHIT!" Bloom screamed in pain as she tried to kick the creature off. "Get the hell off me! Get off! Get off!" She planted a foot in the middle of its face, but it only hissed again. With one strong kick, she sent the beast reeling back. In the scuffle, the beast left long gashes into both her jeans and leg.

The creature regained its footing and hissed at Bloom. The redhead nervously crawled away as the creature charged towards her ready to claw at her head.

“Not again!” she shielded herself, ready for the attack. The creature, fortunately, took a bomb of flashing light to the back from the blonde’s staff, turning him into a puff of smoke. The blonde gave her a reassuring smile before turning back to the monster.

“This is a fight between you and me, not innocent civilians!” Stel angrily stated.

The beast ignored the blonde's anger to swipe at her. The blonde evaded the claw swipe from the large monster as it tried to snatch her. Her movements were sluggish. It was obvious she wanted– and needed– to rest, but she wasn't going to let the beast take what was hers.

The creature barked at the last remaining black and red creatures to go for the redhead while the beast turned towards the blonde. Bloom frantically tried crawling away again as they stalked towards her. “Stay away from me.”

Stel was too busy trying to fight off the thundering beast, trying to not get any more injuries, leaving the redhead to defend herself from the voracious creatures. The creatures closed in on Bloom, preparing to attack. As they hissed at her, she felt fearful and enraged. Her heart raced. She could feel something inside her chest, a strong form of energy that seemed to be hidden away in her for a long time, growing stronger by the second.

As the creature launched itself at Bloom, she held up her hands and yelled, "I said: STAY. AWAY. FROM. ME!” The flame that had been suppressed for so long was finally ignited.

A large barrier of fire exploded from her hands, extinguishing the last three remaining ghouls. The roaring flame wall crackled around her as she gazed at the flames shooting from her hands. The blonde barely managed to evade the oncoming blaze. Her enemy wasn't so lucky. Bloom's fire incinerated the right side of its body, causing it to cry out in agony.

As the flames died out, Bloom could see that the behemoth monster's whole right side had been scorched badly enough to have turned a raw pink, like bubblegum left out under a park bench.

It glared at the two girls with its one good eye. "This isn't over. I’ll come back with more ghouls to get both of you!" it shouted, backing away. "You haven't seen the last of me!" With a flash of smoke, the beast disappeared, leaving a dark black ring engraved in the ground.

A moment of silence laid over the two remaining girls. Bloom stared at her shaking hands. Even though fire had come from them, they appeared to be fine. There wasn’t a single scratch or burn on them, unlike her leg. "Di- did I just do that?" she questioned, mystified. She fell onto her knees, the pain in her leg pounding with relentless fury.

"You most certainly did, love," the blonde girl said, limping over to her. She held out her bloodied hand to help the girl up. "That was some kick-arse fairy fighting skills." 

"Um, thanks… I think," Bloom said, grabbing her hand. "What… what just happened?"

"It's sort of difficult to explain," the girl said while struggling to lift the redhead up. "But now that them beastly barmies are gone, if you'll excuse me…" The blonde glanced at the spot where the monster had been. After a moment, her eyes rolled into the back of her head before she slowly collapsed to the ground, reverting to the dress Bloom had seen her in before, her cuts still being visible. 

"Hey, are you all right?" Bloom asked, crouching next to the girl. She winced from the pain in her leg as the dizzy girl let out a faint groan. "Right, that was a dumb question. Um… don’t faint at least.”

"Oh, I'm fine, I just need to rest real quick. This is a normal day for me," the girl reassured her. "Stuff like this can be healed up quickly. Although, it's a good thing I'm not at risk of being torn apart like a rag doll anymore. That wouldn't be too good for a princess."

"Right," Bloom nodded, "Wait, what?"

The blonde ignored Bloom's reaction and stared down at her bleeding leg. "What about you, love? Your leg's pretty mangled."

"It's not that bad," Bloom said, sounding as calm as she could. The pain in her leg was unbearable, but she knew that compared to the blonde’s injuries, it wasn’t that bad. "Just a flesh wound. I'm more focused on the giant red alien creature that clawed it." She paused. "Not to mention…who are you?! What are you?! What were those creatures and how the hell did you do the thing with the laser beams and the staff?!"

"Hold on, love, one question at a time," the blonde said sitting up. "I'm trying not to fall unconscious here. Do you mind helping me up?"

"Oh, sure." With Bloom's help, the girl managed to stand up while resting on Bloom's shoulder, although it pained both to be standing.

The girl groaned "Maybe I'm a tad in pain,” she said, “I owe you one, love.”

“For what?”

“You saved me back there,” Stel replied, “If it weren’t for you, I might’ve lost my scepter.”

“Oh, uh, it was nothing, really,” Bloom said nonchalantly, “Now, can you please tell me who you are?”

"Okay, I guess there's no use still lying to you. Allow me to properly introduce myself.” Stel cleared her throat. “I am Princess Stella Luna Leanna Celestia Estelle Davenwood of Solaria, but my friends call me Stella or Stel."

Bloom cocked her head in confusion, much to Stella’s surprise. “Is that your real name?”

“Of course it is!” Stella exclaimed, slightly offended. "Haven't you heard of Solaria? The planet with two suns and moons?" She waited for the girl to respond. "Separated into two kingdoms?"

"Yeah, I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about," Bloom said, looking completely lost. "Did you hit your head back there?"

"That's the one thing that wasn’t damaged. Plus, why would I lie about being a noble?" Stella asked, slightly offended. "My father was all over the blooming news for donating a large amount of money for the queen's rot disease research."

"The who, what disease research?" Bloom asked, still unsure if this girl was crazy or not.

"How about this, he's in alliance with Edward Ó Faoláin, the king of the banshees and sirens. He's assisting him after the king was almost assassinated."

"Nope, none of anything you just told me sounds familiar…or makes sense," Bloom admitted. The only current royalty she knew about was Queen Elizabeth, and even though this girl had the accent, she wasn't from England, let alone any part of Europe.

"Then I am most certainly far from home, or even Alfea for that matter," Stella sighed. "So, where am I then?"

"Gardenia," Bloom answered.

Now, Stella was the one looking confused.

"It’s in California… that’s in America… none of this ringing a bell?" Bloom added. "What about Earth?"

Stella didn't say anything, only shifting her eyes around.

"You're telling me you don't know what Earth is?!"

"Well I’m sorry, but you don't know what Solaria is, so we're even," Stella replied. "To be fair, interdimensional geography isn't something I spent much time studying."

"You said that like it was completely normal," Bloom muttered. "Wait a minute, are you saying you're from another planet?"

Stella started laughing, her sides heaving painfully as she did so. "Try another realm. I'd love to tell you more about it, but do you think we could hurry out of this part of the woods?"

Bloom glanced back at the burnt grass circle the beast left before leading Stella out of the forest to her bike, but she still seemed completely lost on what the girl was talking about, so she continued on.

"Bleeding Omega, they didn't teach you this stuff in school?"

"No, the inter-dimensional geography class wasn't passed by the school board," Bloom sarcastically said. "I wasn't even aware there were different realms. Are there more places like yours?"

"Dozens, dearie!" Stella exclaimed. "I didn't really expect to meet someone so ignorant about the Magix realm." Bloom took offense to that comment, but Stella didn't seem to notice, as she quickly changed the subject. "I actually came upon this place by mistake. I was out clubbing when that dimwitted beast stormed into the club and tried to corner me for my magical ring. I freaked and gate-jumped. Not a brilliant idea." Bloom kept quiet, still unsure if anything happening was real. "This here magical ring in question is also my Scepter of Solaria, right, and it’s a right handy tool for channeling my magic while transformed. It can also open gates between worlds and goes well with any outfit. However, as I was trying to teleport back to Alfea College, I was so frightened I couldn't focus, and it brought me here."

"Okay," Bloom slowly nodded.

"Anyways, when I ended up here, I assumed it was gone and went to grab a drink. I forgot the dimwit had its own gate-jumper. When I returned here to teleport back, that's when I found him, and you know the rest."

"Gate-jumper?"

"Hello," Stella said. "That burnt circle you saw back there. That's what happens when you use gate rings. They always leave a circle imprint like when your guest leaves a glass on your freshly tidied cedar wood table without a coaster."

Bloom chuckled at hearing the blonde finally using a phrase they both understood.

"Gate rings are enchanted rings that even beings without magic can use for teleportation between one place and another location. They're damn near impossible to remove the enchantment from, so it's a good thing we're leaving before that ogre reappears. They can heal pretty fast."

"That thing was an ogre?" Bloom exclaimed, alarmed and astonished at the same time. "I thought ogres were make-believe! Then again, you had wings sprouting out your back not even two minutes ago, so what do I know?"

"Yeah, I take it that they're not common here,” Stella replied, “but in Magix, they're not too hard to find if you know where to look. Some are good, most are bad, and there's a lot of them."

Bloom and Stella limped to the tree where she was sitting under before the scuffle. Her bicycle was still parked underneath. Kiko was in the basket, still snacking on the flowers. Once there, Bloom couldn't stop herself from hyperventilating as she slowly lowered herself and Stella to the ground.

"Why are you sitting?" Stella asked, worried. "We have to find a place to hide."

"I just…I need a minute," Bloom said as she slumped against the tree. Resting her head on her knees, she repeatedly said, "Magic is real. Magic is real. Magic is real. Magic is real. Magic is real…"

"Oh, I understand. You're going through a bit of culture shock," the blonde said, patting the distraught redhead. "Take your time."

"Thank you," Bloom whimpered. "So, if that was an ogre, what were the demons?"

"Demo— Oh, the little creatures. Those were imps," Stella answered. "The ogre called them ghouls, but they're imps. They’re small, easy to create, and disposable creatures. Not that strong, though. That's why you saw them vanish into the air after being destroyed. Nasty things, really."

"Of course!" Bloom said, throwing a hand in the air. "Then what are you? A sorceress, wizard, witch? Because after seeing you fight that… that real life ogre and his imps with magic, I'm assuming you're not human!"

"And you consider me a witch?" Stella rolled her eyes. "Ridiculous! For your information, I am a fairy."

Bloom bonked her head. "My fault, how would I have not known that when you had giant wings sticking out your back like a butterfly?" she sighed, trying to catch her breath. "Wait. Aren’t fairies supposed to be tiny with pointed ears and wings? They're extremely cheerful and obnoxious?” She paused for effect. “Actually, you nail that last part."

Stella was about to respond until she heard the last sentence. "Snide remark aside, most of what you described are pixies," she explained. "A fairy, like myself, is a magic-user who can transform into what you saw a moment ago. Our wings can be released whenever, but it's better to fight in fairy form to use our powers to their full extent."

"I can't believe this," Bloom said, trying to process everything she had seen and heard. She couldn't deny the existence of mythical creatures and magic after witnessing that battle, as mystifying as it all was. "There's no reason to call you a liar though. Okay, can you explain why an ogre of all things, was after you?"

"How would I know?" Stella exclaimed. "One minute, I'm shaking my bum in the club and the next thing I know, it barges in, demanding I hand my scepter over. It certainly wasn't taking the Solaria Scepter without a fight. The Davenwood Reign is well known and loved, but sadly, we aren't without enemies. It's amazing that it wanted this little ring, but it does hold great power." the blond shrugged, pulling off her ring, then without a second thought, the ring transformed back into a staff, causing Bloom to jump back. She grinned. "You're like a child right now."

"Well, excuse me, but we don't have real magic around here; only illusions," Bloom said somberly. "I've always had an interest in magic and the supernatural, yet I didn't expect to see any of this. Shooting light beams from a staff, fairies, ogres, gate-jumping, I'm still trying to wrap my head around what just happened."

"I know it's a lot to take in. I could try filling you in on everything I know; it really won't be a lot," Stella said. "But, if you're telling me you're completely unaware of magic, how were you able to cast that ace firewall? I assumed you'd at least know you're a fairy."

"A fairy?" Bloom stared back down at her hands.

"Of course, you are. Don't tell me you're not. That skill you used was most certainly fairy magic. Not witch magic or warlock magic. It’s most certainly fairy magic."

“Cool…” Bloom sighed again. “How?”

“Hey, don’t get me wrong, you don’t seem like fairy material at all,” Stella admitted, placing a hand on the girl’s back. “But it looks like you’re one of us.”

“This is way too much to take in.” Bloom shook her head. “One second I’m focused on vacation plans and smoothies and a bike and the next thing I know, fire is literally shooting from my hands!”

“Fascinating, isn’t it?” Stella nodded. “Well, we can talk about this more later, we’ve been sitting here long enough. Do you have a place nearby where we can lay low? I need some rest and don’t really want to risk teleporting somewhere in my condition.”

“Um, yeah. You can stay at my place,” Bloom said rubbing her leg. “We should probably hurry before it gets dark.” She wrapped the blonde’s arm around her shoulder and lifted them both up. A blistering pain shot up her leg again, but she tried ignoring it as much as she could.

Once Stella saw her mode of transportation was the girl's bike, she frowned. "A bicycle? Are you serious?"

"Sorry, the chariot's in the shop," Bloom replied annoyed.

Stella pouted before noticing Kiko staring at her. "Aw, cute," she cooed, softly petting the cat’s head.

Bloom tried placing her helmet over Stella’s head, but the girl pushed it away with a look of disgust on her face. "Um, are you trying to give me helmet hair?"

“Yes, because your hair is the biggest issue,” Bloom mumbled, placing the helmet back in the basket. Stella simply ran her fingers through her hair while looking away from the redhead who rolled her eyes. “Whatever then.”

“Are you sure you’re okay to do this?” Stella asked as Bloom adjusted her footing. “Your leg is bleeding an awful lot.”

“Oh, I hadn’t noticed,” Bloom said through gritted teeth. “I’m fine.”

“All right,” Stella shrugged. “Now, off to your place!”

Bloom huffed as she slowly pedaled out of the park. As she made her way down the familiar streets, her mind kept focusing on what Stella had told her. She couldn’t stop wondering if she was right. Could she really be a fairy? And if so, what will this mean for her?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End of Part 1


	2. Chapter 1: A Dragon Awakens Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bloom thought she was just a normal girl from Earth with a boring life and her dreams of fairies and magic would remain just that: Dreams. That all changed when the fairy Stella entered her life at a smoothie shop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's part 2 of chapter 1. Hope you liked the first chapter and full disclosure these chapters will be either be posted in parts for easier reading consumption or regular chapters. I don't know why I write so much lol. But at the end of the day, it's just reading, so I hope you have fun, maybe grab a cup of coffee, sit back and read this baby. 
> 
> Ya'll enjoy.

Chapter 1: A Dragon Awakens Part 2

In a deep, dark cave in another world, shrouded by an equally dark forest, the ogre slumped over on a rock with grass sticking out from the sides as he healed. He winced as he felt the usual stinging on his body before letting out a soft grunt as his wounds began to regenerate. It was taking longer than usual since the fire had delayed the process. He silently grumbled as he got up to release a couple of imps from their chamber cages. A stalactite began to drip on his head as he kept grumbling to himself. Suddenly, he was startled by a loud, high-pitched shout.

"Knut, you worthless sack of shit!"

The ogre, known as Knut, whimpered upon hearing the angry voice. Suddenly, three dark shadows with massive white eyes began forming and approaching him. Knut started quivering and fell to his knees. "Your wicked enchantress, I know you’re mad…” He gulped nervously. “I can explain."

"We had you do one thing!" the shrill voice snapped. "Take the bimbo's staff and bring it to us. How hard was that?"

"Sister, don't be so tough on him," said a second voice, one with more calmness and control. "This isn't the first time he's disappointed us."

"But it- it's not my fault," Knut stuttered.

"It's not my fault, it's not my fault," a third, raspy voice mocked. "Like we haven't heard that before!"

"I should've turned you into a tree the first time you screwed us over!" the first girl threatened.

"Please, your menacing sorceresses, do not punish me," Knut begged. "I was so close to taking her scepter and giving it to you, but then this earthling girl… sorta appeared and ruined everything."

"An earthling girl?" the first girl questioned. "You were defeated by some non-magi?!"

"She was no ordinary non-magi. She got magic, fairy magic," Knut tried to explain. "I swear. When I ordered my ghouls to go after her, one almost had her but then she created a giant firewall. She hurt me real bad." Knut showed off his still burnt body.

"Hm, interesting," the second girl said.

"Then she…helped that princess destroy all of my ghouls…" Knut paused, frowning. "They were so young!"

The third girl let out a groan. "Moron."

"What did this earth girl look like?" the first girl asked.

"Uh, well, she had red hair, I think, and she was wearing clothes," Knut explained.

The first voice sighed. "That's it? You don't even know what color her clothes were?"

Knut only shrugged then clasped his hands together, trying to be as apologetic as possible.

"You forgot to wear your glasses, didn't you?" the third voice impatiently asked.

Knut's eyes traveled to his feet. slowly before he nodded nervously.

"Where are they?"

"In my pocket." Knut slowly pulled out a pair of thick opaque glasses and placed them over his eyes. "I don't like the frames though."

"Oh no. Oh no. He doesn't like the frames. Sisters, he doesn't like the frames and so that gives him the excuse for removing them. That changes everything!" the first girl said, her voice shaking in fury. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"I'm sorry!" Knut cried, falling to the ground.

"A nearsighted ogre, how asinine…" the second girl chided. "So, not only did you get defeated by an earth girl and a bimbo princess, and then retreat like the coward you are, you did so without wearing your glasses… do you mind if I take this one?"

"Go ahead," the first girl replied, exhausted.

"You are a moron!" she repeated.

“Knut, not only have you disappointed us yet again,” the third girl scolded. “You lost the scepter, let a weak earth girl defeat you, and then you lost her too!"

"B-but your highnesses, that is not true. You see, before all my ghouls were mercilessly destroyed, one of them grabbed this off the earth girl." Knut pulled out a torn, dark blue, blood-stained piece of felt from his front pocket. "It looks like nothing, but this is a piece from that girl's clothing. If I give this to a hunting troll, it'll be able to track them down."

Knut whistled, causing a large humanoid troll with dark blue skin, glowing yellow eyes, three-fingered claw hands, long, disheveled dark blue hair, and a ring piercing around his nose to crawl out from the shadows. Knut held the cloth in front of the troll who began sniffing it.

"See?" Knut smiled nervously.

"Very well, then," the first girl said, still unconvinced, "After you're finished healing, go find that annoying earth girl and the princess. If they fight back, have no mercy. And I cannot stress this enough: Bring back the scepter!"

"Yes enchantress, I won’t let you down this time." Knut nodded with a gulp. With that dealt with, the shadows vanished, leaving the frightened ogre alone. He sighed as the tingling around his skin continued. He wasn’t sure what was worse— the burns, or his bosses?

***

Bloom returned home past her curfew, no doubt worrying her parents. It had taken her two hours to ride back home with an extra person and a bloodied limping leg. Her father paced the floor, continuously staring at his watch. By the time the door opened, the sun had already gone down.

As Bloom entered the house, her father was about to scold her until he saw her bruised and bloodied, carrying an equally injured blonde on her shoulder. "What happened to you?" he asked, horrified. "And who is that?"

"Dad, a minute!" Bloom snapped, lugging Stella over her shoulder.

Kiko scurried in behind them and plopped down on the armrest of an armchair.

Mike hurried over to the two injured girls and helped lead the badly injured blonde towards the couch.

"Is that Bloom?" Vanessa called in the hallway. "She better have an explanation for— what happened to you?" She covered her mouth in shock.

"I'm fine," Bloom reassured, sitting down in the armchair.

"One of your legs is bleeding!" Vanessa exclaimed, throwing her arms around the redhead. "Who hurt my baby? Who beat you up? Did they take your bike?"

"I'd love to explain what happened," Bloom mumbled, pushing her mother away. "But, could you please help the other girl laying on our couch?" She pointed towards Stella who was silently lying on the couch, examining her arm wounds. Mike and Vanessa turned towards her.

"Hello," she waved shyly. "I'm Stella."

"Oh dear," Vanessa said before running out of the room. "I'll go get the first aid kit."

Once Vanessa had left, Stella turned towards Bloom. "Bloom, I don't want to complain right now," she said, readjusting herself on the couch, "but that bike ride took way longer than it should have."

"One, thank you for not saying that until now," Bloom replied wryly. "Two, I have an injured leg, and I got you home safe and sound, so you have no room to complain!"

"Bloom, don't snap at the guest," Mike said, examining his daughter's leg. "Aside from your injured leg, are you okay?"

"Yes, dad," Bloom replied, giving him a reassuring smile.

"Well then, what happened?" Mike asked. "It looks like you were attacked by a rabid dog."

"Um, you aren't too far off," Bloom said, chuckling dryly. "Although the thing that attacked me was more of a vicious pack of wolves and a bear.”

"What?" Mike exclaimed, causing Stella to jolt. "You were attacked by a pack of wolves and a bear?"

Bloom groaned as her mother came back in with a large first aid box. "Bloom, please tell us what happened. I must know how my baby was hurt. Oh, and you too, girl," she said, handing her daughter a roll of gauze for her own injury.

"It's a bit unbelievable," Bloom paused. "Let's see if this sounds right: Stella and I were attacked by, and I want you to listen, a giant ogre and a group of imps."

Mike gaped at his daughter. "Hold on a minute, you mean like…a really big guy and his gang?"

"Not even close, it was an actual hideous, violent mythical Shrek-like ogre and his demon-like goblin copycats," Bloom explained, wrapping the gauze around her leg. "I-it was no big deal though." Her father kept staring at her in silence. "The princess can back me up. Right, Stella?"

"She's correct," Stella agreed. “Although as I said before, they were imps, but that ogre insists on calling them, ghouls.”

A moment of silence filled the room while Bloom's parents just stared at her like she was crazy. The only sound was Stella’s small noises of agony as her painful wounds were being cleaned.

Mike cleared his throat before saying, "Pardon?"

"Let me repeat this," Bloom said, readjusting in her chair. "I heard a scuffle coming from the forest. I found that girl fighting a giant ogre, like a real, giant ogre. When the ogre spotted me, he had his imps, which he called ghouls, attack me. One latched onto my leg, she saved me, and then I saved her."

"Sweetie, did you hit your head back there?" Mike asked concernedly, putting a hand on his daughter's head.

"Now you know how it feels to be asked that," Stella mumbled. "Your daughter is telling the truth, though. You see, I was out partying when— bloody Great Dragon, that stings! —when those beastly creatures attacked me. I managed to evade them for a short time, but sadly they found me in the forest. I was honestly in some deep sh—ouch! — I was in trouble. Then, your daughter saved me and herself by blasting away an imp with a firewall and torched the ogre. I owe her my thanks indeed."

Mike and Vanessa exchanged the same confused expression.

"By the way, I'm a fairy princess."

"Okay," Mike said slowly.

"Do you believe me now?" Bloom asked.

There was a long pause. "...Nope, not really." Mike shook his head. "I think she's insane and you must have hit your head to be saying such delirious things. I'm calling the police."

"Mike, let's be calm here," Vanessa said, trying to be rational. "We should at least contact this girl's parents, so they can come to pick her up. Sweetie, do you know your parent’s phone number?"

"Yes, darling," Stella kindly replied, giving Mike a side glare. "But it would be difficult to contact them. You see, I'm from Solaria, this planet about six realms away, and my father is terribly busy with diplomatic business. It would be impossible to contact him, and don't get me started on my mum."

"That's it, I'm calling it," Mike said, standing up. "You are crazy! You did something to my daughter. I'm contacting the police and they're going to deal with you."

"Yeah, he's like this all the time," Bloom said, covering her face. "Nice hospitality, dad."

Stella groaned, before lifting her hand, causing a yellow flash to expel from it.

Mike froze. His eyes shifted towards the blonde girl, who was smiling from ear to ear. He kept his eye on her while trying to pick up the phone on the receiver before pausing. "Stupid question, am I holding a carrot and a head of lettuce right now?" he asked slowly. Vanessa and Bloom both nodded. "So, the phone's just gone?"

"Yes, dear," Vanessa said, who before was applying bandages to Stella's wounds, but once the girl used her magic, she backed away from her.

"Di-didn't I pick up the house phone though? Now that's been replaced with vegetables…is this happening?" Mike stuttered, staring at the carrot and lettuce in fear. He seemed to think the vegetables might turn into something else.

"I'm not sure?"

Bloom tried to hold back her laughter, but seeing her father continually staring at the vegetables that were once the phone made her burst into giggles. "Princess, you just became ten times more awesome!"

Stella smiled. "Cheers. And sir, do you believe me now?"

"I definitely do!" Vanessa said, grinning.

"I am so confused right now," Mike said, swallowing hard. "Okay, maybe you're not some psychotic girl who escaped from a mental hospital, maybe you are a fairy princess, and maybe I am holding lettuce and a carrot." He turned towards Stella. "Now can you please change this back?!"

"Of course," Stella paused. "How does that out of date phone work?"

Mike stared at her for a second before asking, "What do you mean how does a phone work? It has buttons, a receiver, and it's used to make calls on it!"

"Listen, mate. You need to lower the attitude," Stella said, putting her hand up. "I can see where your daughter gets it. I bloody well know what a phone is," she explained, bothered by the father's attitude towards her. "I need to know the mechanics of it to transform it back."

"In other words, you don't know how to change my phone back?" Mike asked.

Stella nodded, avoiding eye contact with the angry father.

"I was afraid that would be your answer." He rubbed the temple of his forehead before taking a bite from the carrot. "I might as well have a snack."

Stella snapped her fingers at Vanessa. "Love, I don't want to be rude, but do you mind finishing this up?" She pointed at the rest of her uncovered wounds.

Vanessa only smiled and went back to aid the girl. "So, you are a fairy," she said, sounding surprisingly peaceful. "That's amazing! For all these years, I didn't think they were real and now… well, this is a surprise, to say the least."

Stella beamed hearing such nice words. "Finally, someone is treating me with respect."

"I saved you!" Bloom rebutted. Stella rolled her eyes. "Anyways, mom, Stella told me I might be a fairy myself after I did that weird fire trick."

Vanessa's eyes widened then shifted towards her daughter, who simply shrugged.

"Yes, this daughter of yours is loaded with magic and I could see her becoming better with the proper training," Stella said confidently. "Bloom, you should go to Alfea with me. It's not too hard to register and it's one of the best magic schools in the whole eight realms."

"Alfea?" Bloom remembered the blonde girl mentioning that back at the park. She couldn't help but feel excited about the prospect of attending a magic school.

"Would you please stop listening to her nonsense?" Mike snapped, pacing the floor.

Stella covered her ears. "Geez, mate, you sure do love yelling."

Vanessa finished bandaging up Stella and went over to her husband to calm him down. She calmly patted him on the back, but he kept pacing the floor, seeming to want everything to go back to normal. "Bloom, can you please take Stella to the guest room, so she has somewhere comfortable to sleep?" she asked. "Your dad and I need to discuss this for a while."

"You don't have to ask me twice," Bloom said, eager to leave the awkward tension ever since Stella turned the phone into a salad. "Let's go, princess."

***

Back in the woods, Knut reappeared in the glade with a flash, his body fully healed and with more imps with him along with the leashed hunter troll. The troll started sniffing the ground.

"Wear your glasses, Knut. Do our bidding, Knut. It's your fault you were set on fire, Knut. You're a dumbass, Knut. What the fuck is wrong with you, Knut? You're our scapegoat because stuck up witches like ourselves are obviously more precious than your well-being, Knut!" Knut grumbled bitterly as the troll and his imps looked around. "Well, why can't you treat me better? I swear if they weren't paying me and… weren't terrifying, I would give them a piece of my mind."

The troll grunted, bringing Knut back to his mission. “Right, do your thing, troll.”

He pulled out the torn cloth and lowered it close to the troll's nose. The troll took a long whiff then immediately started tracking the scent. Knut grunted for the imps to follow behind.

***

"Sorry about the phone," Stella apologized as she sat down on Bloom’s bed. "I might have overreacted just a tad."

Bloom shook her head. "No need to apologize. That was hilarious. The look on my dad’s face was priceless. There's no way he'll be denying magic after that."

Stella laughed. "Well, I am an expert." Stella glanced at a poster on Bloom’s wall. "So, this is your room?”

“Yup,” Bloom said, sitting down at her desk. “My humble abode.”

Stella took a quick look around the room noticing the dark makeup, guitar, strange posters, and Bloom’s sketches. “I’ve only known you for a few minutes and this doesn’t even shock me.”

"Too grim?" Bloom dryly questioned with an annoyed expression.

"No- well- not really," she stuttered. "You're a very good artist, the landscapes you’ve done are marvelous. You can take it to Alfea with a quick packing spell if you like."

"About that..." Bloom nervously walked over to the bed. She sat down next to the princess mulling over how to say what she was thinking. "I don't think I'm going to Alfea."

"What?” Stella asked, surprised. “Why not?"

"I think I used up all my magic powers in the park," she answered, then cocked her head. "That's just a sentence that came from my mouth."

"Trust me, someone with magic like yours doesn't just lose that. They're just rusty from lying dormant for so long.” Stella placed her hand on Bloom’s knee. “Look, you've always had magic inside you. Sometimes, they can be summoned through strong feelings, such as fear, but they don’t just go away."

“If that’s the case, can this magic school you mentioned really help me? Are there more schools like it? What do they teach you? Does everyone use magic where you’re from? How does one…”

“Whoa, calm down, love,” Stella said whilst holding up her hands. “I learned all I know from Alfea, the Institute of Fairy Magic. There are many schools like it, but Alfea is the best. Yes, everyone can use magic to different degrees, but very few can transform like we can, and I wouldn’t be able to go over all of the studies right now.”

“How do you know they’ll take me in?” Bloom questioned. “I didn’t even know magic was a real thing until an hour ago.”

Stella put an index finger to the redhead’s lips, much to her annoyance. “I don't want to hear any more negativity. Bloom, you warned me when those imps were about to pounce on me and used your kick-arse powers to save me. Be proud of yourself. In my world, magic is a part of my life and some people just have a tougher time honing their Spark."

"Spark?" Bloom questioned.

"Well Spark—Palladium called it something else but spark just rolls off the tongue more—is sort of like your special skill, so to speak. You're strongest when you use that special skill for power. Mine happens to be light." Stella demonstrated this by making her left-hand glow like a flashlight. "And I'm going to take a huge guess and say yours is fire because you usually don't pull off tricks like that unless you're born with that spark."

"So, could you explain how turning my house phone into a carrot and lettuce is related to light?" Bloom asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Just because you have a spark doesn't mean you can't learn new spells. If you do, you'll just limit what you can learn, simply because it's not based on your Spark. You can't change your spark though, but honestly, who would want to?" She tried crossing her legs, only to wince from her aching wounds. "Although, right now I wish my spark was regeneration. Anyway, by using your special skills, you'll figure out how to transform, use magic for fighting, for everyday tools, etc."

“Could you teach me anything now?” Bloom asked excitedly.

Stella chuckled. “Love, I’m still learning how to teleport properly and I’m not in the best shape to teach you even a simple molding spell… maybe after I’m healed up.”

Bloom sighed. “All right. Do you mind if I show you something?" Her eyes drifted towards the thick mythology book she had been reading last night, still on the floor. She picked it up, staring at it for a second before slowly handing it over to Stella. "I’ve, uh, had this book for a while and it talks about fairies and witches and other things and I… uh, was sort of hoping you could look through it."

"I'm not a big reader, but sure." Stella took the book to examine the cover. "'Fairies, Witches and Warlocks: Fact or Fiction?' Yep, definitely written by a non-magi."

"Non-magi?" Bloom questioned, feeling something warm jump onto her lap. Kiko likely entered the room and chose to settle on her. He began purring, comforting the redhead.

"That's what we call humans who possess no magical power or live outside the realm."

"I am learning so much from you," Bloom smiled, gaining a casual hair flip from the blonde. After spending a few minutes flipping through the book, Bloom finally broke the silence by asking Stella a whole set of questions. "Am I like the girl in that book? Is your world like that? You mentioned a kingdom earlier, how many kingdoms are there—"

"Would you give me a bleeding second to answer?" Stella asked amusedly, covering the anxious redhead's mouth. "Hm… first off, you are nothing like the girl in this book. Second, the world in this book is sort of similar, but most of it’s just the usual non-magi beliefs. We're much cooler than these fairies, or should I say pixies. And there is a bundle of kingdoms and planets where I’m from." She tossed the book onto the floor. “Now, did I answer your questions?”

"Not even close," Bloom replied, removing the blonde’s hand from her mouth. “Can you tell me more about your world?”

Stella tapped her chin for a second. “Instead of explaining it to you, why don't I just show you?”

"You can do that?" Bloom asked, intrigued. "How?"

Stella winked with a smile, then pulled a postcard out of a pocket on her dress. "A magic postcard! I knew this would come in handy." She stood up from the bed and calmly dropped the postcard down next to her.

“You just had that with you?” Bloom questioned staring blankly at the postcard. "What's so magical about a postcard?"

"I got it as a souvenir, I thought it was cute. It’s really simple and allows you to ‘visit’ the place pictured,” Stella said with a smile. Bloom simply shrugged in response. "This really is like talking to a child, brilliant. Just watch."

She snapped her fingers, causing the card to expand across the floor.

"What the-" Bloom gasped, astonished.

"Then, you just stick your hand in it, and you're transported there," Stella calmly placed her hand on the postcard, then right before Bloom's eyes, was sucked into the rippling surface.

Bloom stood up from her bed and cautiously approached the enormous card. She gently poked the surface, causing it to ripple again. It didn't feel like a liquid. In fact, Bloom didn't seem to feel anything at all. She touched it again, creating another set of ripples. She stared at Kiko, who had simply laid on the bed seeming uninterested. Unsure if she wanted to step foot into the card, that wasn't her choice when Stella's arm appeared at the top and grabbed the startled redhead by the wrist.

"Come on, love, I don't have all night."

"Wait-" Bloom exclaimed before being pulled into the card. She suddenly found herself standing in a large courtyard. The sun was bright and shining, the sky was a cloudless blue. Every color seemed to be on the postcard. She looked back up to see her room, then back down at the cobblestone floor. Bloom started trembling in excitement. "This is amazing!"

"Glad you like it," Stella replied, pulling a phone from her bag. "I'll be right back to give you a tour. I must make a call and the reception in this postcard is dreadful."

"Another thing I never thought I'd hear," Bloom said. "Who you calling?"

"Red Fountain. The boarding school across the Enchanted Forest. They are taught combat fighting skills and deal with these sorts of incidents," Stella explained. "I have to report the ogre attack to them, and I happen to have a friend who's training there, so I'll fill him in. You explore, I'll be back in a pinch." With that, Stella lifted her hand out from the picture and vanished, leaving Bloom behind.

Bloom found herself alone as she continued looking around the courtyard. It was covered in flagstone, small vases, and beds of flowers scattered all around. Green benches were placed around the field and old-fashioned lanterns hung from iron poles.

Bloom felt dizzy with amazement as she saw more glorious buildings surrounding the plaza. They were tall, old castle-like buildings covered in colorful tiles that enclosed her from almost all sides. They surrounded her on almost all sides, decorated in royal blue roof tiles.

“This is cool,” Bloom finally said, cutting off the silence. “It’s like a Disney musical.”

"Oh, I love musicals!" Stella said, startling Bloom. She giggled as the redhead’s face turned pink in embarrassment. "Sorry. Anyway, I contacted the guy and he said they'll be here soon."

"Wait, they're coming to my house?" Bloom asked, and the blonde nodded. "No, that's not good. My dad doesn't really like guys my age coming over."

"And?" Stella questioned. "They're only coming to get some more information and hopefully protect us. I don't know what they're feeding the boys there, but those blokes are gorgeous hunks. You can take your pick when they arrive."

"I did not just hear that," Bloom blushed. "Enough about boys. Can you show me around like you promised?"

"I'd be glad to," Stella smiled. "The large castle in the background, that's the famous Alfea, the best and most prestigious school in the realm. This school welcomes any girl, even royals like me and commoners like yourself, fauns, sirens, even pixies. Any fairy can come here and hone their skills." Stella pointed to her right. "As I said before, across the Enchanted Forest is Red Fountain School for Heroics and Bravery, filled with gorgeous blokes." She then pointed left. "And, unfortunately, located to our left, is the creepiest place in the entire realm: Cloud Tower for Witches and Wizards."

"What's wrong with that school?" Bloom asked.

"It's filled with witches!" Stella repeated. "Those are some of the worst beings in the whole realm!"

"Yes, compared to the ogre and imps we just battled; witches are way worse than that." Bloom crossed her arms. "Look, I have no idea how this dimension works, but I'm pretty sure not all witches are evil."

"Okay, maybe, but most of the witches there are major tricksters," Stella insisted. "Just be wary if they offer you a drink or you'll be croaking for a week."

Bloom laughed. "Man, this place is amazing. I still can't believe it's all real."

"I know," Stella beamed. "The real thing is much better though because there's actual life, physical objects that can move and—" She was cut off when Bloom slammed into the flat, hard edge of the postcard while running over to investigate a lantern. "Ha, ha, ha, and there aren't any borders to smack into."

"Fantastic," Bloom wheezed.

***

"I can't believe this BS," Mike grumbled. "Fairies, ogres…this is completely ridiculous."

"Mike, it's not really ridiculous; it's real," Vanessa said, resting her head on her husband's shoulder. "You can see she turned the house phone into vegetables."

"No, she didn't," Mike denied. "We're just having a hallucination."

"Well, if that was true, then how do you explain eating part of the phone?" Vanessa held up the half-eaten carrot. "There's no denying that this fairy princess is a real fairy; you're just afraid to believe it. You have to admit Bloom has always had a lot of mystery surrounding her."

"Yes, but not magic being real! Fairies, witches, and other mythical creatures are not supposed to be real!" Mike exclaimed slamming his fist on his knees. "They are fairy tales, make-believe, and now our daughter might be one of them? A freak of nature?"

"Mike!" Vanessa said, offended.

"That was a bit uncalled for," Mike admitted. "I'm sorry, honey, it's just so much to take in. I never expected this in Bloom, and besides, how come she hasn't shown any signs until now? How come she hasn't turned my phone into a salad?"

"Maybe it took her a while to figure it out. Maybe she knew the whole time and kept it a secret from us because she wanted to protect us. Maybe her magical powers manifest late in her teens?" Vanessa said, her lip slightly quivering. "Who knows? She's still our little girl and we have to be there for her."

"So, you're telling me we just let her head off to Hogwarts where she'll be taught how to ride on brooms and turn things into other things without knowing how to change them back?!" Mike picked up the eaten carrot and stared at it angrily. "She owes me a new phone!"

"I think that broom part is for witches," Vanessa corrected, causing Mike to snarl at her. "Not important. But Mike…I think with everything that's going on, we should finally tell Bloom the truth."

"This night just keeps getting better and better," Mike said, sarcastically. He rested his head in his hands before letting out a long sigh. "What worse can happen?"

After he asked that question, a loud crash came from the front door as it was knocked off its hinges. The couple froze as a massive ogre stomped in, along with his troll and a dozen growling imps.

"Mind if I come in?" he growled. The imps started circling around the living room and kitchen, some started climbing the walls and ceiling. "My friend here tracked a blonde fairy and a human girl to this house. If you could bring them both to me, then we can leave without any harm to either of you."

"Oh, Christ!” Mike exclaimed, banging a fist on his forehead. He slowly stood up before saying, "Let me guess, you’re the monster that attacked that girl and my daughter."

"Maybe I am." Knut took another step into the house. "Now, hand me the girl." The imps started coming closer to the couple, hissing. "Or my ghouls can deal with you."

Mike stared at Vanessa who seemed to share the same look. "I can’t let you do that,” he said looking for a weapon. “You won't take her unless you get past me. I have a le— not this again!" He tossed the head of lettuce he grabbed and quickly grabbed a chair.

"Oh, please." Knut rolled his eyes. "Last chance. Hand over the girls or else!"

"Not a chance," Mike growled.

"Your choice," muttered the ogre before barking orders to the imps.

Two imps let out an ear-piercing screech before launching themselves at Mike but were knocked back by the chair slamming into them. They flew back into the bookcase, which resulted in several books falling to the floor. Another imp went for his leg, but Mike wasn't going down without a fight. He propelled it with a well-aimed kick, sending it flying past the shocked ogre.

Knut rubbed his chin. "Oh, come on, what is with you humans? Can't you just let them attack you?"

The rest of the imps approached barring sharp fangs and growling. Another suddenly leaped onto the coffee table, locking eyes with Vanessa before letting out a loud hiss. The brunette screamed before grabbing a vase and slamming it over the creature's head, knocking it out. As another charged towards her husband, she knocked it away with a large book.

"Whoa, good toss," Mike said, backing away from the monsters.

"Thanks, but I'm not sure I can fight any more off," she whimpered, running towards her husband. The two found themselves backed against the kitchen wall as the imps closed in on them, though they stopped when standing an inch towards them.

"Tell us where you're hiding the girls or you're going to be dinner for my ghouls," Knut barked.

"Cheerio," A familiar voice called from behind the ogre.

He smirked, turning around, only to be greeted with a searing blast of light in his eyes. He roared in pain and stumbled backward, releasing the leash for the troll.

Stella said, "I guess someone couldn't stay away."

“Why the eyes?!” Knut cried, clawing wildly at his face.

“Why not?” Stella said with a sarcastic shrug.

Bloom laughed as she stood by Stella’s side. “Awesome.”

Stella had already transformed in Bloom’s room once they both heard the crash. It happened in a flash before Bloom’s eyes. Stella’s ensemble was missing the tears from the fight earlier, but her scratches were still visible. Her now transformed ring staff was being held on the left side. Bloom still wasn’t sure how transforming worked, but that didn’t stop her from being amazed when it happened before her eyes.

Knut was unamused as he growled, keeping his hand over his eyes. “Troll, attack!”

The troll barked in response and immediately charged towards Stella and Bloom. The blonde let out an aggravated huff as she casually kicked the troll down to the ground.

"Trolls aren't much of a challenge even when you're injured,” Stella said with a sly grin. “All right, let’s make this quick.”

The princess whirled her staff in the air before firmly planting it in front of her. She stepped closer, glaring at the towering Ogre, growling troll, and snarling imps.

“Enough of this!” the ogre roared, his dark eyes flashing with barely restrained rage. He turned to the creatures and bellowed, “We’re not leaving without that staff. Ghouls, destroy them all!"

The creatures obeyed their master, jumping at the girls with fangs and claws bared. 

“Bloom, I'll handle these two gross-outs!” Stella ordered, knocking the troll down with her staff again. “You take care of the imps."

"What?” Bloom exclaimed. She slowly turned towards the approaching group of imps. “This doesn’t seem like a fair fight!”

“Just do that flaming wall thing again!” Stella exclaimed.

"Even if I could, I'm not burning my parents' damn house down!" Bloom grabbed a vase to fend off the advancing monsters that were now baring their fangs. She swung the vase as best as she could. The imps only hissed and growled as they came closer to her. "You don’t want me, I’m not worth attacking. Oh God, the fangs again."

Suddenly, Bloom and the imps heard a crashing sound. Her eyes darted towards the noise where she noticed the troll colliding into the big-screen television, causing both to fall onto the floor. The troll quickly passed out from the trauma.

“Hah, knock out!" Stella cheered, then focused on Knut, who seemed ready to fight back.

"Oh, come on!" Mike shouted as he stared at his television in shock, now smashed to pieces on the floor.

While Stella took on Knut, Bloom found herself stuck in a corner, lacking any space to fight back. She tried shooting fire at them like she did in the forest, but nothing happened. She then aimed the vase at one of the imps, but it jumped back, causing the vase to hit the ground, breaking into pieces. One imp growled, then leaped at her. She tried to dodge to the side but tripped over the carpet while the beast flew past her.

Bloom bit down on her bottom lip then slammed her fist on the ground as pain surged through her leg. “Mother fu- I was just getting over the pain,” she whimpered. "Stella," she called, frustrated. "You done?!"

"Not even close!" Stella called back, shooting a solar beam at the ogre.

“Okay, cool, I got this,” Bloom sarcastically said, attempting to lift herself up. Another imp came eye to eye with her. It lunged at her, but this time she tried to fight it off.

"GET OFF MY DAUGHTER!" Her dad roared. He raced over to her and pulled the creature off, throwing it against the wall. He had a broom in the other hand which he used to fight off the other imps. Several other imps became distracted by the pots and pans being thrown at them. At the same time, Knut tried swiping at Stella who was gliding around the room with her wings.

Out of the corner of her eye, Bloom noticed an imp sneaking up behind her father. "DAD, BEHIND YOU!" She shouted.

Mike barely had time to face this newfound threat before the imp sprang at him, barreling into his stomach and sending him crashing to the floor. The impact was immense as if someone threw a bowling ball full of rocks straight into his gut.

Bloom twisted her head around after hearing her mother scream. She saw another imp attempting to scratch her mother’s hip. Terrified, Bloom grabbed a lamp and smashed it across the imp's head, sending him to the floor. Her victory was short-lived, as not a second later she was thrust to the ground by another annoying imp. She angrily shoved it off, though not before it gifted her with another set of slashes in her leg.

She looked over at her father. In his right hand, he was holding off a frenzied imp by his neck, the other trying to grab a weapon. A good thing too, as his right hand was running with blood. Shocked, Bloom found her legs moving backward all on their own. Just great. First, her magic wasn’t working, and now her body wouldn’t even let her help her father.

The imp continued clawing at her father's hand. Thinking fast, Mike grabbed the closest thing to him–the half-eaten, now bloodied carrot– and jammed it straight into the beast's eye. The imp let out a loud hiss. It forgot all about clawing Mike, rather focusing on removing the object from its eyes. However, it left itself wide open, allowing Mike to chuck the imp on the ground and slam his foot down on its back. The beast immediately vanished in a puff of air.

"I never thought that would work," Mike remarked.

Well. Looks like he could handle himself just fine.

Leaving her dad to defend himself, Bloom stumbled into the kitchen. Her breathing was panicked as she attempted to catch her breath. She stared at her scraped hands, hoping for something to happen. Yet they were still as stubborn as ever, not doing one single little magical thing. "Damn it!” She yelled out, slamming them on the counter.

"NOW I HAVE YOU!" a rasping growl blared from the living room. Bloom peeked from the corner and saw that Knut had both his massive fists around Stella's waist, holding her like she was a doll.

"Give me the Scept-teeeeer!" the ogre roared. 

Stella blasted him dead in his right eye with a concentrated beam of light. “How ‘bout I give you this instead!” 

"You bitch!" he howled in pain. Blinded by the light, he hurled Stella through the front garden window. Glass exploded from the front window as Stella tumbled to the ground. He raised both his empty hands up to his eye, rubbing it like a maniac.

"Stella!" Bloom yelled, racing past the imps. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no!" She slammed the back door open knocking it off its hinges. Eh. Practically everything had been broken tonight. What was one more door?

Outside, she found Stella sprawled out on the grass and surrounded by broken glass shards. Several pieces had lodged into her arms, leaving trails of blood that stained her clothes. Bloom rushed over to her, attempting to help her up.

“Come on, Stella,” she pleaded, “you can’t be out now!”

The ogre smashed through what was formerly her front window. Great. Just what she needed right now. More problems.

Bloom stumbled back, struggling to keep the near unconscious Stella in hand. The towering ogre stormed over to them, a murderous stare in his one good eye. Behind him, the troll and several imps blocked the way back into the house. "This is the last time I'm going to say this,” he growled, “GIVE ME THE STAFF!"

"Never," Stella gurgled.

“Then I’ll just take it from you!”

“Haven’t you been trying to do that the whole time?” Stella said, “Besides, our back-up should be here soon."

"Back-up?” The ogre broke out into laughter. “That's so adorable. You think someone's about to save you.” He was so caught up in his fit of hysteria that he didn’t even notice a small grenade land in the cluster of imps. His laughter was cut short when the grenade went off. Several imps were sent flying back. The ogre and the troll were only slightly luckier, as the blast sent them tumbling onto their backs.

"You were saying?" Bloom heard an unfamiliar voice call. She glanced towards where it came from in shock.

Four strong, young men appeared, decked out in blue and white full bodysuits with long blue capes. One was tall, slightly lanky, with ruffled auburn hair, wire-rimmed glasses, and freckled face. His hands were brandishing a grenade gun that was emitting smoke from the front end. The second guy had shoulder-length blond hair, fair skin, and a blue longsword in his hands. Beside him stood a slightly tan guy with short brown hair. He had a green broadsword resting on his shoulder. Bloom’s eyes drifted over to the last guy and his tall, spiky, magenta hair. She was so fixated on the unusual colored hair that if he wasn't swinging a purple saber from hand to hand, she would have missed it completely.

As she watched the sword swing gracefully, Bloom noticed that it had a slight glow to it. Looking back at all the other weapons, she noticed they were glowing as well. The light made it look like they were energized. 

"So, that's them?" she asked, catching her breath.

"Yeah. Took their bloody time to get here," Stella mumbled, her words slurring together. 

"Are you okay?" the brunette yelled.

"Oh, we're feeling great! Preparing to go for a jog afterward! How the hell do you think we're doing?" Bloom snapped.

"Well, that was just plain uncalled for," the auburn-haired guy said, slightly offended.

"Don't worry ladies, just stay safely away from the beast!" the blue sword guy yelled. "We can take care of the rest."

“Get away from the ogre. What a great idea,” Bloom grumbled under her breath. She let out small grunts while leading Stella away from the monsters.

Knut roared while pointing at the cluster of guys. The remaining six imps and the troll charged.

The anime character wanna-be stepped forth and casually sliced one of the imp's body in half with a clean-cut swing from his blade. He then went after the troll, separating the troll's hand from his body.

"My hand!" the troll cried out in pain.

"There's more where that came from," the hand slicing boy threatened.

The troll began to run away, likely not wanting to see that threat come to fruition. It did little to help as the boy started running after the troll.

While he took care of the troll, two imps went after the boy with the blue sword. He slid between them before skewering one imp with his sword. Ducking down, he let the other land behind him. One of his friends quickly gored it, a green blade piercing through its chest.

The fourth imp crept closer towards the last boy who was fearfully backing away. His weapon was shaking in his hand, making him look like a kid who was given a gun with no instruction. Shaking his head, he raised his weapon up to the beast to blow it to kingdom come. Yet a saber came flying through it, making it vanish into dust.

"You good?" Saberboy asked.

"That one was mine!" The boy with auburn hair stamped his foot.

"No problem, I left the other two for you," Saberboy sneered, returning to beating the troll.

As if on cue, two imps rose from the grass, hissing before being blown away by the freckled young man. He then readjusted his glasses before humming and reloading the grenade launcher.

The remaining men regrouped as Knut bellowed in frustration and annoyance. He charged at the three caped crusaders. He tried grabbing the blonde's head as if to crush it into mush, but the blond casually swayed away with an ease that came from years of practice, giving the ogre a slash to his side. Knut grabbed his side, turning to crush the brunette, but fell to his knees as the saber wielder sliced open his back.

The brunette planted the pommel of his sword onto the ogre's nose, fracturing it.

Knut grabbed his nose and screamed.

"Bloom, give me your hand," Stella ordered. Bloom, who was quietly watching in awe, slowly took the other girl's bloodied hand. Stella took a deep breath then shouted, "Hey, ogre!"

"What?" Knut shouted, turning towards the girl.

"Eat Solar Flares, bitch!" Stella launched a combination of fire and bright light from both girls' hands. The blast shot deep into the ogre's open wound, causing him to cry out in excruciating pain. 

"Oh, thank the dragons that worked!" Stella sighed.

"Jeez, how did we do that?" Bloom questioned, pulling her hand away from Stella to look at it.

"Old trick my tutor taught me to help out beginners," Stella muttered, struggling to keep her balance. “You’re welcome.”

"Thank you!" the auburn-haired guy shouted, then he turned towards the battered ogre. "My turn, now." The three others jumped back as the freckled warrior focused on the creature and took aim.

Knut's last eye widened in fear at the sudden awareness of what was about to happen, and he only sighed in defeat. With a loud explosion from the grenade gun, the ogre was launched backward. After a moment, he stood back up, wheezing from lack of breath. His body was disfigured from his messed up eyes to his chest, the rest of his body pink. One hand was blown to bits while the other one only had two fingers. Muttering something ineligible, he vanished in a flash of light and smoke.

"Where did he go?" the magenta-haired guy asked.

"I think he gate jumped," Bloom called. "Now, if one of you could be so kind as to stop standing there and help me carry her inside!"

Three of the guys rushed over and carefully helped bring the wounded Stella back inside, while the last one collected the whimpering and injured troll with a leash. Bloom stood by herself. She looked around her neighborhood and noticed house lights turned on all over the area. She groaned, knowing there was no way people hadn't heard that entire battle unless they were deaf.

Inside, Vanessa was bandaging her husband's wounds while holding back tears. When she saw the six people enter the ruined living room, she quickly raced over to Bloom and hugged her tightly.

"My baby! My precious baby, you're okay!" she wept. "I was so worried."

Bloom tried to pull away, but Mike followed suit and enveloped them both in a bear hug. 

"Guys, I'm fine,” she reassured, “and besides, you're embarrassing me." After a few seconds, the parents released their daughter and turned towards the caped crusaders.

"Thank you so much for saving my precious daughter," Mike said, patting his daughter's head. "If there's anything we can do for you—" Mike was cut off by the auburn-haired warrior.

"If one of you could assist me with mending her, that would be thanks enough." He sat next to Stella and placed a hand on her head.

"Shouldn't we bring her to the hospital?" Vanessa asked, eyeing Stella's arms.

"I can take care of this," the auburn-haired guy said, pulling out a small silver flask from his utility belt. "Administering this will fix her up. It's a concoction of healing and dissolving potions. It'll evaporate the glass and mend her wounds. She needs to repose herself for a day or two. Do you think you can house her here until then?"

"Of course, we can," Vanessa nodded. "It's the least we could do after you saved us. Right, Mike?" Mike stared at the gaping hole in his once nice living room, clutching his hair. "Mike!"

Mike stared at the group, his eyes bugged out, before slowly nodding. It was clear he was trying to resist the urge to scream.

As the other two began assisting Stella, the three other young men turned to Bloom, who was quietly glaring at them. "So, you're the Bloom Stella told us about. We're the Specialists," the blond introduced in a proper voice. He didn't seem to notice the girl's anger. "I'm Brandon, squire of Prince Sky, that's him." He pointed towards the brunette who was checking his teeth in his sword.

"Hiya," he greeted.

"Riven," the magenta-haired boy said coldly in a raspy voice, holding out his hand.

Bloom shook it while continually giving the guys a death glare. "You have a bit of purple stuff on your face," she said, finally noticing the purple goop dripping from the magenta haired boy.

"Oh, this is from the troll," he replied, nonchalantly. He stared down at the shaking troll with a mischievous look.

"Yeah ‘kay then," Bloom said, awkwardly. "Who's the one with the glasses?"

"The nerd fixing up Stella is Timmy," Sky replied.

"So, you're all the men Stella contacted," Bloom said, trying to keep her composure.

"Sort of," Sky said. "Her, Brandon, and I go way back. So, it makes sense why she contacted us. That, and we're awesome."

Stella moaned, an odd way of laughing since she was in pain. "Glad you could save me, babe." Sky blew Stella a kiss.

"Well then, glad to know all your names and whatnot," Bloom said calmly, shifting her hips. Suddenly, without any warning, she came closer to the blonde who smiled at her. Without a second thought, she angrily grabbed him by the collar of his uniform as her face turned bright red. "What the hell took you so long?"

"Um, what?" Brandon questioned nervously. His proper voice had turned into a scared whimper.

"Stella said she contacted you and it took you forever to get here!" she shouted, shaking Brandon. "Do you not see my house? There's a hole! A hole! What gives? Were you staring at the moon?"

"It took us some time to leave the school!" Brandon stuttered, his head jerking back and forth.

Mike ran over to pry his daughter away from the frightened man. He held her back as the redhead continued glaring at the group. Bloom flailed her arms at the squire, who took a few steps back. "You owe me a new wall!" she growled.

"Bloom, Bloom, just breathe," Mike advised, still holding her back. "They still got here, so let's at least be grateful for that."

Bloom wasn't listening as she attempted to snatch the nervous blond by his collar again. The fire seemed to grow as she reached for him. Brandon hid behind Sky, trembling slightly. This caused Riven to start laughing as he took a seat in the armchair keeping a tight grip on the makeshift leash of the troll.

“If you’ll allow me to explain,” Brandon whimpered, trying to compose himself. He glared at Riven who was still chortling. "I- it took a while to convince the headmaster that Stella was in trouble, but if we knew how bad it was, we would have shown up earlier and with more men. If Sky had contacted the other staff—"

"Hey, leave me out of this," Sky said in mock offense, turning to his squire.

"Well, all you told us was that she was in trouble without describing anything," Riven said, wiping goop off his arm. "You're lucky we brought our weapons."

"I thought we were in a hurry," Sky mumbled, rubbing his neck.

"It's okay, darling," Stella said, giggling as Timmy and Vanessa finished binding her arms. "An honest mistake, isn't that right, floating pink rabbit?"

Bloom cocked her head. "Floating ...pink rabbit?"

"That's the effect of the potion kicking in," Timmy explained. "This one is pretty potent."

"Is everyone okay in there?" a worried yell came from outside.

"Oh, God," Bloom groaned, covering her face. Just what everyone needed.

"And that's the neighbors," Mike said, exasperated. He released his daughter and started to pace. He has been doing that a lot tonight.

"We need to vacate the premises," Timmy said, standing. His teammates just stared at him. "Leave. Guys, we need to leave.”

"Then just say that dude," Sky said. "Also, Stella told us that this place —Earth, is it? — isn't connected to the multiverse, so we'll try to see if we can send someone to fix up your place."

"While you wait, just make up a good story and keep Stella hidden," Brandon added. "I doubt this is a good way to introduce magic into your world."

"That's the most logical thing I've heard tonight," Mike said, surveying his destroyed home. "Now, get out of my house. I'll take care of the neighbors." He headed outside, resisting the urge to cry.

"You don't have to tell me twice," Riven said, walking into the middle of the room. Sky and Timmy followed behind him.

Brandon cautiously walked over to Bloom, maintaining a safe distance between them. "Um, sorry we couldn't come sooner, Bloom. If we had, your house wouldn't …"

"Have a gaping hole in it?" Bloom asked through gritted teeth.

Brandon scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, that's inconvenient. I get you're really angry about this, but please don't be resentful towards us. This isn't how we planned our first battle to happen… or for your house to be partially destroyed. As Specialists we must protect and serve, we couldn’t fully accomplish that and for that, we apologize.”

“I don’t!” Riven called.

“Ignore him,” Brandon said annoyed. “I can promise you that a team will be able to help you with all of this… mess,” the blonde paused, avoiding eye contact with the redhead. “I feel like I should've worded that better. Um, also you have some pretty strong powers, so I do hope to see you again."

Bloom walked closer to the nervous blonde, staring deep into his crystal blue eyes and causing him to tremble slightly. "You should head back before someone spots you."

"Yeah, would you hurry up?" Riven barked, yanking the troll with his leash.

Brandon rolled his eyes, then walked over to his team. Timmy pulled a remote-like device and pressed the red button, causing a portal to open in the middle of the room. Vanessa ducked behind the torn-up couch cautiously. One by one, the men vanished into the portal before it closed.

Stella giggled again, starstruck. "Aren't they amazing?" she breathed.

Bloom sighed, carefully lifting the fragile girl from the couch. "Let's just get you upstairs.”

Her mother followed her. When they returned to the guest room, they both placed Stella on the mattress.

"I'm sorry for causing so much trouble," she apologized.

"Oh sweetie, there's no need to apologize," Vanessa said, adjusting the pillow underneath the blonde's head.

"Yeah, just rest for the night. You need it after today," Bloom added. "Um, I know you’re kind of loopy right now, but…is that magic place always like what happened tonight?"

"Let me just say this, if all it involved was being thrown through windows every day, I would've locked myself in a madhouse by now," Stella said, slightly joking. "But that doesn't mean the whole world is bad. The realm is an enchanted and wondrous place where everything is pretty much possible. I've lived there for most of my life, so I would know." Stella paused, her eyes getting heavier. "That's why I think Alfea would be a great place for you."

With that Stella closed her eyes, falling deeply asleep. As she rested, Bloom looked at her mom, who seemed to know what she was thinking.

"We can talk about it tomorrow morning," she answered with a sigh. "Right now, you both should get some rest.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End of part 2
> 
> Okay, that was chapter 1, exciting and action-packed right? Sure hope to God so, well anyways the other chapters should be out soon, I'm probably going to post them sporadically since I'm still looking for a beta to help me and my work/school schedule will conflict sometimes, but I feel more confident about posting this story, so who knows maybe I'll be more confident to start posting every month. For now, I hope you enjoyed this beginning and hope to see you tune in for more.


	3. Chapter 2: Welcome to Alfea Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stella, Bloom, and her parents arrive at Alfea and go through a lengthy process to enroll while learning about some untold history about why Earth is unknown to the Magix realm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMD, I'm back! I returned to publish the next chapter of my magnum opus lol, okay it's not a magnum, but I like it so far. As stated before these will be posted in parts to give y'all some breathing room, this will run a bit slow because it's Bloom going to register Alfea, but you'll learn a little about the world I'm setting up and hopefully like these characters.

Chapter 2 Welcome to Alfea Part 1

Bloom fought to keep her eyes open, running off the little sleep she picked up the night before. But could you really blame her for not being able to? The looming thoughts of all she had seen and learned would not stop racing through her mind. Magic was real. She’d gone head to head against an ogre and its imps. And to top it all off, she was a fairy. Yet despite all this knowledge, she had no idea where to go next, much less how to figure it all out. The only thing she knew she could do next was to check up on her magical guest, Stella.

Bloom peeked inside the guest room, fully expecting to see the princess fast asleep. To her surprise, the girl was wide awake, sitting up on her bed and texting away on her phone like she hadn’t just gotten the shit kicked out of her yesterday. The only signs of her fight were the bandages wrapped around her legs and arms.

Raising her fist, Bloom knocked on the door. She leaned against the door frame as Stella looked up to find the source of the noise.

“Morning,” she greeted.

“Good morning, Bloom!” Stella responded. She stood up, slightly wobbling. She limped her way over to Bloom, throwing her arms around her host. Bloom couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable as she was pulled into a tight hug. Seriously, how did this girl have enough strength to make it feel like all the air had been squeezed out of her lungs? “I can’t believe you came in to check on me!”

Bloom stiffened. “Uh, it’s nothing, I just wanted to see how you were doing-” she took a sharp breath of air. “-can you stop hugging me?”

“Oh,” Stella’s face flared bright pink. She let go of the girl, and Bloom could feel the air return to her lungs. “Sorry about that,” she tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “Still a little loopy from the medicine Timmy gave me yesterday. That stuff packs a bloody strong punch, ya know?”

“Really?” Bloom snarked, a smirk curling up on her face. “Didn’t notice.” The smirk disappeared as quickly as it came as she noticed Stella’s legs shaking. “You know, you should sit down. I think those guys told us you wouldn’t wake up fully healed.”

“I’m fine,” Stella assured. “I mean, my body’s still a tad bit sore, but I feel leagues better compared to yesterday. Thank goodness the Specialists came as fast as they did, or we’d both be goners. They were quite amazing, weren’t they?” She elbowed Bloom, winking.

Bloom simply rolled her eyes at her guest. Her mind couldn’t erase the giant gaping hole in her once furnished living room.

“Oh, don’t be all miffed,” Stella said, ushering Bloom over to the guest bed. They both sat down, and Stella let out a bunch of giggles. “I was a tad irritated when they got here late, but they did a great job saving us. And that’s all that matters. Trust me, it could have been way worse.” She then flashed a mischievous smile, to which Bloom just stared back. “Oh don’t give me that.” Stella continued, “I saw how gobsmacked you were when they started fighting. You couldn’t keep your eyes off Brandon. When you grabbed him by the collar and stared into his eyes, your cheeks turned red.” Stella nudged Bloom again, who was now blushing bright red and scowling. “See? Like that!” Stella held out her hands as if she was displaying Bloom on a stage.

“Not responding to that,” Bloom mumbled, shifting the weight on her feet. “Though,” she continued, “believe it or not, there is one thing you’re right about.”

“You’re gonna have to be more specific,” Stella flipped some of her hair over her shoulder like she was posing for a photoshoot. “After all, I’m right about so many things!”

Bloom gave her guest a cold, hard stare. “As I was saying, you are right about one thing: that medicine they gave you? It’s making you mad.” Bloom forced her eyes to cross, trying and failing, to hold back her laughter. Stella simply shook her head with a small smile on her face.

Finally getting out the last of her laughter, Bloom wiped away a stray tear from her eye. “Oh, before I forget, I came to ask if you wanted anything to eat.”

Stella clapped her hands together and her face lit up like the sun. “Finally! I’ve been waiting for-bloody-ever for someone here to ask that! I’m surprised no one came sooner. You should really look into improving your room service. It’s terrible.”

Bloom sighed, crossing her arms together. What about her parent’s home screamed hotel to this girl? Then again, perhaps her home looked a lot like the hotels back in the dimension Stella was from. “You’re staying in a two-story house in the middle of the suburbs. That means no room service,” she paused, “your highness.”

“No need to lay on the sass,” Stella’s radiant expression quickly turned to a more serious one. “Though, I still would like a proper meal. Unless those don’t exist on Earth’s suburbs.” She flashed a smirk at Bloom, which only flared up anger in the latter.

“Luckily for you, those do exist,” Bloom dipped down into a mock curtsy. “Now, what would you like, princess?”

“Let’s see,” Stella tapped her finger on her chin. "Do you by any chance have basted Moussaka with blanched mushrooms and a side of saffron pudding? Oh! And a cup of peach-pomegranate tea. I do adore a good cup of peach-pomegranate tea."

Bloom, who was positive her mouth was hanging open, stared at the princess. She had never even heard of half that stuff! And whoever heard of peach-pomegranate tea?! Either that was some special drink only the rich drank or it existed only in Stella’s dimension. 

“I hate to burst your bubble, but we don’t have any of that,” Bloom answered.

"Brilliant." Stella flopped back down on the bed. "It's just like staying in a hostel."

"How about a cup of yogurt?" Bloom suggested.

“Yoghurt?” Stella wrinkled up her nose, clearly underwhelmed. “Will there be an array of freshly crushed and assorted berries mixed in?”

Bloom felt her eye twitch the longer her guest kept talking. She certainly was used to the lap of luxury, wasn’t she? “No. Just plain yogurt.”

Stella let out an overdramatic groan, lifting her arms into the air before flopping them back onto the bed. It took every ounce of Bloom’s will not to roll her eyes. “Fine,” Stella groaned. “My mum taught me to be at least somewhat respectful as a guest, so I will give your plain yoghurt a try.”

“I’m so glad you have decided to give my humble commoner food a try.” Bloom stood up, bowing like she was one of those servants that carried napkins on their arms. Her voice was higher pitched than normal, as she was doing her best mock posh accent. “Now please, your royal highness, remain seated as I fetch the delectable snack.”

Stella gave her a curt smile. “Thank you, love.”

Bloom slipped out of the guest room and descended down the stairs. As she made her way to the kitchen, hoping that the food was not destroyed last night in the chaos, she heard her father’s voice. Following it, she poked her head into a room, where she found her father talking with a very official and stern-looking man. Said man was looking at her father like he had grown two heads.

“Um, let me get this straight,” the official man said, “Last night, a group of drunk teens broke into your house assuming it belonged to them, and then they proceeded to ransack the place?”

“Yep,” Mike nervously nodded. He scratched the back of his neck.

“They did _this_ much damage?” The man asked, sweeping his arms over the room, stopping at the hole in the wall. “Those have to be some pretty strong teens to create a giant hole in your house!”

“It’s hard to believe, but it’s true!” Mike shrugged. Bloom swore she saw sweat dripping down his face. “They were some wild and uncontrollable kids!”

“Um, okay…” the officer scratched the back of his head, likely unsure of what to say next. He was silent for a little bit before continuing. “Anyways, some of the neighbors reported explosive sounds and bright flashes. Do you know about those?”

“Illegal fireworks!” Mike blurted, frantically rubbing his hands. “The kids had illegal fireworks! They even used them to burst a hole in the wall!”

“Right, of course,” the man took a step back. “By any chance, did you know any of the kids?”

“N-no!” Mike tensed up, even more, something Bloom didn't know was possible. “They were just a bunch of random hoodlums drunk from partying! A bunch of random, drunk, human hoodlums! Certainly not an ogre, troll, or a bunch of demons! And they certainly weren’t fairies or crazy men in costumes!”

A sigh echoed from the kitchen. Bloom turned around and saw her mother sitting down at the kitchen table, drinking coffee as she listened to her husband’s cover story.

“Right,” the official said, unconvinced. “Anything like that would be…odd,” He started taking a few steps back, and Bloom couldn’t blame him. Any sane person that didn’t know the truth likely would view her father as a crazed man who lost his marbles years ago. 

The official cleared his throat. “Anyways, all the damage should be covered by your insurance, since it technically counts as vandalism. Albeit very bizarre vandalism. You’ll just need to wait a day or two for someone to come by and help fix the wall.

“That’s good to hear,” Mike said, sighing from relief. He reached out his hand and the official shook it. Once the handshake was over, Bloom couldn’t help but notice the man leave just a little bit faster than any normal person would.

After the official left, Mike scanned over the destroyed living room. Knowing her father, something told Bloom this wasn’t the first time he had done so today. He slowly sat down on a section of the couch that wasn’t destroyed. “Thank God that’s all over with,” he sighed, putting his face in his hands.

Vanessa walked into the living room carrying her cup of coffee and a fresh new cup. She handed the new cup to her exhausted husband, who graciously accepted it. “You can say that again,” she said before taking a sip from her own cup. “After everything that happened last night, we needed some good news.”

“I can’t believe I just lied to an official,” Mike whimpered, the coffee nearly splashing out of the cup with how much his hands were shaking. “Our house is destroyed, I’m scared out of my mind, and I had to lie to an official about what happened because the truth would likely get me a one-way ticket to a mental asylum!”

A pang of guilt hit Bloom and she frowned. If she hadn’t brought Stella back home, there would have been no fight at her house. Granted, she had no idea what would become of Stella if she hadn’t stepped in, but any attempts to put a positive spin on the situation didn't absolve her of her guilt at all.

“There is a bright side,” Vanessa reasoned.

“Oh yeah?” Mike said. “What kind of good can come out of this mess?!”

“We now have a perfect opportunity to remodel the living room and the kitchen!” Vanessa said, placing her free hand on Mike’s shoulder.

Mike turned toward his wife, shaking his head. Then he burst out into laughter, the kind of laughter you give when everything’s gone to shit. “Oh sweetie, always looking at the positives… I really need that right now.”

Vanessa sat down next to her husband and rested her head on his shoulder. Mike gazed lovingly at her, and it seemed like his stress was melting away.

Bloom let out another sigh. She opened her mouth to greet her parents, but stopped, unsure of whether or not she should speak up. Ultimately she decided to leave them be, get the yogurt, and leave – hopefully without being noticed. Unfortunately, the moment she stepped into the kitchen, her father looked at her and smiled.

“Morning, Bloom,” he said. “Glad to see you've finally decided to come out of the shadows.”

So he knew she was there the whole time. “Morning,” Bloom greeted, looking around the demolished room. “Wow, sunlight doesn’t help any of this. It looks even worse than it did last night.”

“I’ll give your compliments to the designer,” Mike said sarcastically. “Speaking of our interior designer, how’s your fairy friend doing?”

“She’s doing well,” Bloom answered while walking into the kitchen. “I offered to bring her something to eat— that is if I can find something in this mess.”

Bloom stepped over some discarded pots and pans that were scattered across the floor. Pantry doors hung from their hinges. Everything looked worse for wear. The only thing that seemed to be unscathed was the refrigerator. Bloom opened up the door and saw a cup of strawberry yogurt right away. She pulled it out, closed the door, then grabbed a spoon from the partially intact kitchen drawer. As she walked out of the kitchen, she noticed that her parents were staring at her. Like they had something important on their minds.

“Is everything okay?” Bloom raised an eyebrow. “Is mom pregnant?”

“No!” Mike exclaimed before he quickly turned towards his wife. “You’re not, are you?!”

“No!” Vanessa exclaimed. “You know we need to talk to Bloom about the thing… school.”

“Right, right, sorry. I just have so much on my mind right now,” Mike said, taking a long sip from his coffee like it was a pint of beer. “Um, so, that school the girl mentioned,” Mike looked Bloom directly in the eye. “The magic one. You think you might be interested in going there?”

Bloom’s eyes shifted as she mulled over the question. “Maybe,” she eventually admitted, tapping the top of the yogurt with the spoon. “It does seem like a cool school to attend. An entire place dedicated to learning magic and helping me understand…” She gestured down at herself. “Whatever I am. It sounds so cheesy and cliche, but I always felt sorta… different from everyone else. Like there’s this small fire deep inside me, waiting to come out.” She paused, staring down at her feet.

“Even after what happened yesterday, I still want to check this place out. Yes, those monsters did completely destroy this place and yes, those guys took forever to get her and–” She looked up at her parents, both of whom had looks of exasperation. Bloom felt her face flare up as she stopped rambling. “Um, my point is, I wanna go. I don’t want to ignore any possible powers I have, even if I have really imagined magic existed or that I’m possibly a part of it. I have to find out more about what I am.”

Silence filled the room as Mike and Vanessa looked at each other.

“Are you sure?” Vanessa said, looking at Bloom.

Bloom nodded.

Vanessa turned back to her husband and they began whispering. They mastered the art of whispering, able to hold secret conversations that no one else could hear. Bloom simply looked at the ends of her hair while she waited for them to finish. Perhaps she should just leave them alone? After all, it had been a while since she went to get the yogurt. Stella was probably furious with her right now and–

“Bloom,” Vanessa said, snapping Bloom out of her thoughts. “We know you’re growing up– a lot faster than we thought you were– and now you have this…” Vanessa bit her bottom lip, the silence only making Bloom more anxious. “Let’s call it a special gift. We don’t want you to have all these powers and not be able to use them. So, before we agree to anything, we want to visit this school and get more information. See if it’s what you really need.”

“Really?” Bloom exclaimed, almost dropping the spoon.

“Really,” Mike said. “Knowing how to use possible powers would be a good thing, especially after what happened yesterday. If we think the school will be able to help you, we’ll let you go for a semester.”

Bloom stared at both of her parents as she felt a wide grin spread across her face. It took every ounce of her will not to bounce around eagerly. She’d never heard the end of it if she did. That didn’t stop her excitement from leaking into her voice. “I can’t believe it!”

“Not to burst your bubble,” Mike interrupted, “but we haven’t said ‘yes’ yet. We don’t know anything about this place. Don’t get your hopes up.”

“You say that now,” Bloom squealed, “but I bet that after you see Alfea, you’ll change your minds. Oh my God, I’m going to a magic school! I’ll get to meet other fairies and witches and elves and pixies! I literally never thought this would happen–”

“Bloom, take a breath,” her mom giggled.

Bloom did as she asked. Man, was she really rambling that hard?

“I’ve never seen you this excited before,” Vanessa said.

“How could I not be?” Bloom asked. “Just yesterday you wouldn’t let me go on a simple vacation by myself. Now you’re letting me leave the entire planet!”

“Alright, alright,” Vanessa stood up and grabbed the yogurt and spoon from Bloom’s hands, “why don’t you go back to Stella while I make breakfast?”

“Sounds great,” Bloom said, bolting up the stairs. She poked her head back down. “You’re gonna love this place!” She rushed back up to the guest room, leaving her mother to breakfast and her father to clean up.

***

“Breakfast is ready!” Vanessa called. “Hurry up before it gets cold!”

Bloom and Stella descended down the staircase. As soon as Stella got a whiff of the goods, she began sniffing the air and following the trail to the table. It was almost like she was a dog finding a bone. Bloom held back her laughter and followed right behind her guest. As soon as both girls arrived at the dining room table, they found Mike and Vanessa waiting, along with a makeshift buffet.

“Well, isn’t this a pleasant surprise,” Stella said, placing her hands on her hips. “From basic yoghurt to an assortment of treats!”

“I’m glad this is better than some cup of plain old manufactured yogurt,” Vanessa said as she pulled out a chair for Stella. “Now sit down and eat before it gets cold.”

“I don’t usually eat stuff like this,” Stella said, gingerly lowering herself into the chair, “but I’m absolutely famished right now.”

The Mason family took their seats at the table, proceeding to take some of the food off the serving plates. Stella simply stared at them, as if she didn’t know what to do. Which wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility, in Bloom’s opinion. She was probably given all her meals on a silver platter.

“Stella, dear,” Vanessa said, “would you like some eggs?” She handed over the plate to the princess. The girl hesitantly took the plate, setting it down on the table, before scooping a small bit of scrambled egg onto her own plate. She pushed it around with her fork until she shrugged and took a small bite. Her face lit up like the sun as Vanessa’s breakfast filled her taste buds. Bloom couldn’t help but smile. Her mother was the best cook in all of Gardenia. Not surprising her food could surpass a royal’s quality check. Stella scooped a large amount of egg onto her plate.

“Pass me the other plates!” She said, mouth-watering. “I wanna see if they’re as amazing as these eggs!”

“Sure thing!” Mike said, passing her the pancake plate. Stella eagerly accepted the plate and helped herself to at least four pancakes all stacked on top of each other. Bloom simply stared on, flabbergasted. Was this all because she was weak, or did this princess really have a black hole for a stomach?!

After Stella placed a generous helping of sausages onto her plate, Mike cleared his throat. “So, Stella… what else can you tell us about this magic school you go to?” He was twirling his fork in the air, and his voice was slightly shaking.

Stella was about to place a large bite of egg into her mouth but lowered it back down to her plate. “Of course! Its full name is Alfea University for Fairies, but everyone calls it Alfea for short. The building was designed to resemble a castle, though it isn’t quite the same as my home. The school hosts many classes, plenty of fun places to relax, and excellent dorms. They’re no royal suite, but they aren’t too bad.” She picked back up her fork and shoved the eggs into her mouth.

“That’s good to know,” Mike said, pushing around his own helping of eggs. “But how does everything work? What are the classes like? The people? The food? And is there a hospital near the school?”

“I can see where Bloom gets her ability to ask nonstop questions,” Stella drawled, eating the last of her eggs. “Like father, like daughter, as they say.” She placed her fork down and grabbed her cup full of orange juice.

Bloom, who was busy chewing on a pancake, simply gave her guest a death glare. Stella didn’t notice, as she continued drinking her juice. She nearly dropped her glass after a long sip.

“Oh, my Dragon!” She squealed. “This is the best thing I’ve ever tasted! Absolutely scrummy!” She chugged down her entire glass, completely unaware of three sets of eyes staring at her. Stella wiped the corners of her mouth. “As I was saying, at Alfea you attend classes to learn about magic, practice it, study it for hours, and when you’re not doing all that, you hang out with your mates.”

“That sounds a lot like how schools run here,” Bloom said, pushing around a piece of pancake. “Just, ya know, without the magic stuff.”

“Maybe,” Stella said, “I wouldn’t really know.” She took a bite out of her pancake stack. “Even when you put aside the fact I grew up in a completely separate dimension, I was homeschooled most of my life. After that, it was a public boarding school when I started grade seven. I don’t really view myself as the best person to ask any school-related questions. It’s best to meet with Headmistress Faragonda for those.” She wiped away some spare crumbs on her cheeks.

“Headmistress Faragonda?” Bloom asked, quickly swallowing down a bite of pancake. “Is she, like, the principal of the school?”

Stella mulled over Bloom’s statement, pushing around some of the food on her plate. “Principal… I’ve heard that word before. The Headmistress pretty much holds the entire university together, so I suppose she counts as a principal.” She began cutting into her sausage. “Either way, she’ll be the one to provide all the proper information you need.”

“Especially the price,” Mike mumbled, looking absolutely miserable.

Stella, however, was completely oblivious to Mike’s expression of despair, instead stuffing her face with sausages. “I keep forgetting about that little detail,” she quickly swallowed the food in her mouth. “I don’t know a ton about money myself. My father tends to spend however much he pleases him. Like just recently, he donated a set of computers to Alfea, and in my name too?” She shrugged as she ate more sausages.

Bloom desperately struggled not to roll her eyes. It likely wasn't Stella’s intention, but her casual flaunting of money was beginning to remind Bloom a little too much about Mitzi. And she didn’t like being reminded of Mitzi. “Not all of us have that luxury,” she said, quickly stuffing her mouth with eggs before she said something she’d regret. After swallowing down her food and bitterness, Bloom pushed her now empty plate away from her. “Now, when can you take us to the real Alfea?”

“Hopefully after I’m finished eating,” Stella said, raising up a finger. Bloom sighed as she pulled her plate back to her. Hey, if she was gonna be stuck at the table longer, might as well make the best of it.

Stella cut into her last pancake. “I need to refuel a lot. I feel right knackered. Which is peculiar, as I had assumed my energy would return after some rest and that medicine.” She dove into her last pancake. “It’s like the magic here…” she swallowed her current bite. “…is sparse, ya know? Smothered, even.”

“That’s probably it,” Vanessa hypothesized, placing down her own glass of orange juice. “Your type of magic isn’t exactly existent here. It likely is smothered. That would explain why we don’t see magicians using magic like yours.”

“Yeah, if magic were real, your sisters would actually be witches!” Mike quipped. Vanessa frowned at him, but it faded into laughter.

“Quiet, you,” she said, playfully hitting her husband’s arm. “Or I might just reveal my own magic and use it on you.”

“I just ate,” Bloom complained, gagging slightly.

“Hm, you may be onto something, Vanessa. Earth seems like quite a fascinating place. Especially hearing about your own kind of witches!” Stella giggled. “Though, Faragonda would know more about this than I would. I apologize for my lack of knowledge in this field.”

“That’s fine,” Bloom shrugged. “Besides, I’m pretty sure no one can fill us in on magic knowledge in an hour.”

“True,” Stella replied, giving a wink for good measure. She went to grab another bite of pancake, but much to her surprise and disappointment, there was none left. In fact, there was nothing on her plate. Or on the serving plates, for that matter.

“Vanessa,” she held out her plate while looking at her hostess. “Could I have some more, please? These griddle cakes of yours were most scrumptious! A bit fluffier than I’ve had, but certainly not an issue. Oh, and these bangers are to die for!”

“I’m glad you like them. I’d be happy to make more,” Vanessa replied. She grabbed one of the serving plates, stood up, and made her way back into the kitchen.

***

Bloom and Stella made their way back down the stairs, the former struggling to carry a completely packed suitcase. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see her dad place his plate in the sink while looking over his shoulder.

“But how?” He asked. “How can you be all packed when you were up there for barely a minute?!”

“Simple,” Bloom said, struggling to roll the rose print luggage down the stairs. “Magic.”

“Packing spells make everything so much easier,” Stella said.

“Magic,” Mike sighed. “Of course it’s magic.”

Bloom stopped halfway down to catch her breath. Her luggage felt like it weighed a ton! Granted, she _had_ packed a ton into it. Perhaps Stella left out an itty-bitty detail that while everything would fit in there with magic, it would still have the same weight as the items she put in there.

“Can somebody help me?” Bloom begged, taking in deep breaths.

Her father hurried over. As he grabbed the suitcase’s handle, he gave a small smirk. That smirk quickly went away when he picked up the suitcase. She flashed her own back at him.

Bloom grabbed one end while Mike grabbed the other. They slowly began to descend down the stairs, though they were both grunting while struggling to support it. Stella simply watched them from the bottom floor.

Vanessa walked into the room, her eyes widening as she watched her family walking down the stairs. She quickly rushed over to Mike’s side and helped to bring it down. Finally, after what felt like forever, they had reached the bottom of the stairs.

Bloom let out a sigh of relief, though it was cut short by her father’s ear-piercing scream. She looked down and let out a small, panicked scream of her own as she saw her father’s left foot crushed under the weight of the suitcase. She quickly pushed it off, and it fell to the floor. Mike grabbed his foot in pain, sitting down on one of the stairs to keep himself from falling over.

“What’s in this thing?” Vanessa asked as she looked at her pained husband.

“Oh, a little bit of this… a little bit of that,” Bloom muttered. She looked over at Stella, who had just been watching them the whole time. “Mind helping out, Stel?”

“Hey, I told you my hands are far too delicate to lug around heavy items,” Stella defended.

“You could levitate it,” Bloom countered.

Stella averted eye contact. “I have to save my energy for travel.”

“Right,” Bloom grumbled under her breath. She let out a quick sigh before turning to her parents. “By the way, you guys are gonna have to send Kiko’s stuff later.”

“You’re bringing Kiko?” Mike and Vanessa both asked.

“Of course I am,” Bloom said. Right on cue, he walked in from the kitchen and next to Bloom. “After all, he's my pet and he’d be lost without me. Just look at him.”

Her parents stared down at the large, fluffy orange cat that sat patiently on the floor. He was busy licking at his paws, seemingly unaware of everything going on. Bloom simply smiled at him.

Mike sighed, rubbing his forehead. “Bringing Kiko along… there’s no way we’re gonna talk you out of this, is there?”

“Not really,” Bloom replied, picking up Kiko. “But hey. Maybe this place will actually be terrible and we can rush back home and play Monopoly.”

“That probably won’t happen,” Stella chimed in before turning to Mike. “Oh, Michael, if you’d like, I could spruce up your living room with a little magic before we leave. I should be able to spare enough energy to reassemble a few things,” she offered, slipping off her ring. “It’s the least I can do for–”

“No!” Mike jumped up from the stair and clasped Stella’s hands, keeping the ring on her finger. “I’ve had enough magic for today! No, forever!”

“Forever?” She asked. “That might get a bit awkward with your daughter attending Alfea and all.”

“Don’t remind me,” he sighed.

Stella shrugged. Slipping her hands out of Mike’s grip, she walked closer to Vanessa. “Are you ready to go, ma’am?” She slipped her ring off her finger before transforming it into the sun motif staff.

“Ready as ever!” Vanessa eagerly answered.

“Are we flying there? On your staff?” Mike asked, sounding completely serious. “Like a broomstick or something?”

Stella and Bloom just stared at each other before staring at Mike. Bloom could hear her mother facepalm.

“Broomstick?” Stella repeated while glaring at Mike. “Does the Staff of Solaria look like a broomstick to you?”

“Dad,” Bloom said, “Broomsticks are for _witches_ , not fairies,” she let out a sigh. “Trust me, there is a difference.”

Stella nodded, adding in a ‘hmph!’ sound.

“Right…,” Mike muttered, slowly backing up towards Vanessa, as if she could shield him from embarrassment. He cleared his throat. “Well, how do we get there then?” He paused for a moment. “If you don’t mind me asking.”

“Gate jumping,” Bloom and Stella answered at the same time. Bloom simply waved her hand. Better to leave the explanations to the experienced magic-user.

“It’s the safest option for non-magi,” Stella continued. “I’ll just be using my scepter. Make sure to keep all arms and feet close. If any unforeseen circumstances happen… don’t blame me.”

Mike and Vanessa gripped each other’s hands as their eyes widened.

“Don’t worry, I’m a master at this!” Stella chucked, crossing her fingers.

“Didn’t you teleport here by accident?” Bloom asked. Stella simply shot her a death glare.

“So we might end up at a magic school or somewhere else. Like an alligator swamp,” Mike muttered. Vanessa squeezed his hand, and he took a deep breath before sighing. “Okay, whatever. Let’s just get this over with.”

“Right-o,” Stella said. “We’ll be there in a flash!” The family gathered around her. She spread her feet apart, placed the scepter in the middle, and closed her eyes. She scrunched up her face, making her look slightly constipated to Bloom.

At first, nothing seemed to be happening. Bloom opened her mouth to ask what was going on before a strange feeling engulfed her body. It felt like she was being turned inside out, which was not a very comfortable feeling. Colors flashed before her eyes. Her ears popped. Her brain rattled. Her body felt like it had become a giant spring that a child threw around. As fast as everything happened, it suddenly stopped. Instead of being in her house, she was on fresh grass in the middle of a large forest. Bloom swayed back and forth, feeling like she had just ridden a roller coaster. Meanwhile, her father collapsed face-first onto the ground.

“Drat, my aim was a tad off,” Stella said, looking out at the horizon. “We shouldn’t be in the Enchanted Forest,” She transformed her staff back into a ring, slipping it back on her finger. “I did get us near the school, so it should be only a short walk from here. All in all, I count this as successful teleportation.”

Bloom placed her hand on her friend’s shoulder, smiling weakly as she tried to regain her balance. However, her stomach wasn’t feeling so hot. She quickly rushed over to a bush, dropping Kiko to the ground, pushed some of it away, and proceeded to lose her breakfast. Honestly? Not that surprising considering it felt like she’d been put through a blender on the ride here.

"I can taste green and smell glue," Mike mumbled, lying face down on the ground. "Somebody please tell me when the world stops spinning."

“Everything has a twin!” said Vanessa, spinning on her heel. “I think… I’m just going to sit down until I stop seeing doubles!”

With that Vanessa plopped down on the grass while her head bobbed from side to side.

Even Kiko was affected by the interdimensional jump as he stumbled back and forth on his paws before collapsing on the ground next to Mike.

“Oh, I think I know what happened,” Stella said, snapping her fingers. “Trans-dimensional travel can be somewhat overwhelming for the first few times. I couldn’t stand for an hour after my first time jumping. But don’t worry you get used to it.” She paused, presumably looking over Bloom and her family. “I probably should have warned you all about that before we left.”

Bloom heard her dad spit out something. “No, no, it’s fine! I love being surprised by feelings of nausea and not being sure if I can smell anymore! In fact, I’m upset you told me about the side-effects because then they won’t be a surprise the next time you rope me into this! Let’s do it again, this time I’ll vomit on your shoes!”

Damn, her dad was not pulling any punches.

“Calm down,” Stella said. “I said you’ll get used to it. And if you’re still feeling bad later, maybe the Alfea medical staff can help."

“God, I hope so,” he said, his voice groggy. “‘Nessa, are you okay?”

“I think so?!” Vanessa shouted. “I’m not seeing double anymore, but my ears still haven’t popped!” She paused for a moment. Perhaps her ears had finally popped? “Bloom?” She asked. “Bloom, Bloom?! You okay over there?”

“Just a moment,” she coughed. Some leftover vomit made its way up. “Oh, okay, I, uh, I think I’m done…” she caught an unfortunate glance at her breakfast. “So that’s what partly digested pancakes look and taste like. Who knew?” She stood up, backing away from the bush.

“Sorry about this,” Stella winced. “I really mean it. I should have mentioned this all before, but I guess I was so eager to get going that I forgot. And I may have forgotten you’re all still new to this stuff.”

“It’s fine, really,” Bloom coughed. She felt her stomach finally settling. “Not like telling us would have stopped me from puking. It was an honest mistake.”

“How far away are we from the school?” Mike asked as he struggled to keep his balance.

“Not too far,” Stella said. “I recognize this part of the forest. It’s a popular nature trail. Also great for getting exercise. It will take about ten minutes to get to Alfea,” she nudged Bloom with her elbow. “Cool, huh?”

“Yup…cool…” Bloom weakly said. Hey. Just because she wasn’t throwing up her breakfast didn’t mean she was feeling peachy-keen.

“Oh!” Stella randomly shouted. “Almost forgot!” She turned towards Mike and Vanessa and wove her hand over them. As she whispered something under her breath, a white glow enveloped the couple before fading away. “Glad I got that out of that way,” she said, brushing her brow clean of imaginary dust.

“What just happened?” Mike asked, looking over his body. “What did you do?”

“Nothing bad, love,” Stella replied. “You see, I just happened to remember the magical barrier around Alfea that keeps non-magi out. Not sure why they have it in the first place,” she shrugged. “Not like a non-magi could do any real damage.”

“Is that why we landed on this hill instead of at the school?” Vanessa asked.

A lightbulb went off in Stella’s head. She snapped her fingers together. “That might be it! Vanessa, you’re a genius!”

Vanessa blushed in response.

“Getting back on track,” Stella said, “that barrier. I didn’t want Bloom to have to say goodbye so soon, so I just cast a little spell to let you through!”

“That-,” Vanessa clutched her stomach. “That was really sweet of you.”

“Yeah, thanks!” Mike added. He paused for a moment. “This won’t have any negative side effects, will it?” 

Stella, irritated, just shook her head at him.

“Just checking,” Mike said, holding up his hands like he was under arrest.

“Then what are we waiting for?” Bloom asked. “Let’s–” Suddenly she felt her stomach act up again. “Oh no, not doing that again. I’m fine. Let’s… go.” 

Vanessa tried taking a step forward, but her eyes immediately rolled into the back of her head as she fell backward, only to be caught by her husband.

"The dizzies are back again," she gurgled.

Mike opened his mouth before quickly covering it. "I don't feel so good." He quickly dropped his wife, causing her to fall on the ground. He ran over to the bush Bloom was at before and puked into it. Bloom gulped hard to keep down any more bile, but she ran over to the same bush and let her body do its thing. Again. Dammit, why couldn’t her stomach settle already!

"You know what?” Stella asked, bumping her fist together nervously. “Why don't we all just... relax for a bit before heading off?"

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End of part 1
> 
> Don't worry part 2 will be posted with this one, but I'm giving y'all some breathing room. Hope you, dear reader, enjoyed this chapter, it runs a little slow, but I like it so far.


	4. Chapter 2: Welcome to Alfea Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stella, Bloom, and her parents arrive at Alfea and go through a lengthy process to enroll while learning about some untold history about why Earth is unknown to the Magix realm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's part 2 of chapter 2, I hope this isn't confusing anyone because I had an issue where I switched the chapters around by accident and had to fix all that shit lol. Anyways, hope you enjoy it.

Chapter 2: Welcome to Alfea Part 2

  
  


After resting on the hill (and giving Bloom a chance to recover from both nausea and embarrassment), Stella led Bloom, Mike, and Vanessa down the well-worn trail of the Enchanted Forest. The forest lived up to its name, with the golden rays of sunlight that peaked in through the lush green leaves and all its vibrant flowers. Yet the most exciting sight wasn’t the flora and the fauna. No. The most exciting sight were the majestic towers of Alfea that became more and more visible as she got closer to the school. She couldn’t hold her excitement in and keep squealing the closer she got. All her dizziness and stomach pains left her mind by the simple thought of actually attending a real magic school. Her dreams and drawings were coming to life!

Alfea was a large, stone, U-shaped, complex castle-like building with pink walls and blue roofs. In the center, there was a large courtyard boasting a glistening crystal fountain with a fairy sculpture emerging from it. Right next to the fountain was a beautiful well. Massive palatial buildings faced the front wall, and a wrought iron gate was placed right at the front entrance.

As soon as she was standing in front of said gate, Bloom stopped walking and simply stared at the marvel in front of her. “It’s real… is this really real?” She asked. She turned towards Stella, doing her best not to jump up and down like a little kid. “It’s real! And I’m really here! And this is actually happening!”

Stella simply nodded at her. “Yes, yes, it is quite amazing. Though, just wait until you see the rest.” She kept walking forward.

“There’s more?” Bloom exclaimed, picking up her pace and trailing behind Stella.

“Stone buildings? Cobblestone road? Iron gate? Lanterns?” Mike grunted as he rolled the suitcase behind him. “This is mystifying to see! It feels like I’m in a fairy tale. Especially with everything looking so ancient!” He paused for a moment. “Not to be rude or anything!” He nervously added on.

Stella just sighed. “Trust me, darling, you aren’t being rude. The walkway here alone is murder on my feet. The castle look is considered traditional, especially since so many royals, such as myself, attend classes here. Don’t be fooled though,” She raised up a finger and gave a wink. “Everything here isn’t all as old-fashioned as it looks. Such as those lanterns.” She pointed to a set of lanterns. The closer Bloom looked, the more it appeared that they were lacking candles.

“Where are the candles?” She asked.

“Ah,” Stella said, “You see, they don’t need them to emit light. A simple spell lights them up brighter than any flame could.”

“Wow,” Mike said. He let out another grunt as he tried to roll the suitcase over the cobblestone. After a series of grunts, he stopped trying. He wiped his brow and took in several deep breaths. “Bloom, why did you bring so much? We haven’t even said ‘yes’ yet.”

“You might,” Bloom sing-songed as she gently stroked Kiko’s head. “And then you’ll thank me for saving you a trip!”

“I just love your excitement,” Stella said, leaning on Bloom’s shoulders. “It happens a lot to newcomers. Even I was all giddy with glee last year.”

Bloom feigned a gasp. “No! Not someone as regal as yourself!” She added in a faux bow for extra effect. When she stood back up, Stella playfully elbowed Bloom. Both girls broke out into laughter. Out of the corner of her eye, Bloom saw her mother smiling and her father grumbling as he resumed his challenge of rolling the luggage. All four of them kept walking along the courtyard. After passing the well, Bloom bumped into Stella, who apparently had stopped moving and was looking at something. Or someone. After all, there was a woman standing at the front entrance.

Said woman had her brown, sharp, bob-cut hairstyle. Her blue glasses were just as sharp. She was quite tall, a fact her navy-blue sailor dress did not hide at all. She wore a pair of matching boots. There was a clipboard in one hand and a pen in the other. The mysterious woman spotted Stella and began storming over, giving Stella a glare that chilled Bloom’s spine.

“Ah, Miss Davenwood. So glad you decided to arrive,” the frightening woman said. Her voice was as cold as ice. “I was beginning to think you simply chose to ignore your requirement to arrive earlier than the others,” she tapped the pen on a thick stack of papers on her clipboard. From what Bloom could make out, bolded text reading “Arriving early: Stella Davenwood” had been circled. “Just because the order came from a mere peasant doesn’t mean you can simply ignore it.”

“Ms. G!” Stella waved at the woman. “Good to see you too!” She crossed her arms. “I see you’ve kept your wonderous personality since I last saw you.”

“You haven’t changed either, Miss Davenwood,” the woman– Ms. G– said. She scribbled something on the papers. “It’s a shame. I thought you might have grown since that little,” she adjusted her glasses. “Incident last year. It’s still beyond me how your parents convince the school board to un-expel you.”

“I’m a princess, darling,” Stella replied, flipping her hair. “Royalty has its ways.”

“Right,” she said. “Now before I report your tardiness, can you try explaining why you were so late?” She began tapping her clipboard again.

Stella scratched her head while avoiding eye contact at all costs. “I may have been sidetracked by an ogre..”

Ms. G just stared at Stella. She seemed to stare at the princess forever before clearing her throat and scribbling something down. “That’s a new one. No one ever makes bold excuses anymore. I kinda miss them. Well, except for yours.”

“I’m not lying!” Stella insisted, slamming her fist into her open palm. “Call Red Fountain to confirm it! I contacted them after I was attacked!”

“Is there a reason you didn’t call Alfea first?” Ms. G raised her eyebrow.

“I–” Stella cut herself off. Everything was silent for a few moments before Stella facepalmed.

“You were pretty out of it,” Bloom placed her hand on Stella’s shoulder. “It’s okay if you forgot to call this place.”

“And who might you be?” Ms. G asked, looking right at Bloom. A strong chill ran down her spine. God, it was like this woman could stare into people’s souls!

“My new friend,” Stella said, motioning to Bloom. “She witnessed the whole thing. Clearly I was injured too badly that I simply forgot to contact the school. So I contacted some blokes at Red Fountain. Right, Bloom?”

“Right,” Bloom said, doing her best not to tremble in place.

Ms. G shifted her glare back towards Stella, sending relief coursing through Bloom’s body. Ms. G tapped her pen to her chin before sighing. “Alright. If you’re actually telling the truth– and I will definitely be calling Red Fountain to check– then I guess I can hardly blame you for being late.” She scribbled something else on her clipboard and Stella wrapped Bloom up in a hug. “Lucky for you,” Ms. G continued, “this means no disciplinary action shall be taken. However,” she said, adjusting her glasses. Stella let go of the hug and stood up straight. “If it turns out you just told another one of your crazy stories, you’ll have to face me. Trust me, I’m way worse than an ogre.”

Bloom nervously gulped. Even if the punishment wasn’t directed at her, she was still terrified of what Ms. G might do.

After delivering a stern warning towards the princess, Ms. G turned towards Bloom and her family. “I apologize for having to witness that. Now could you tell me who you are?”

Bloom opened her mouth to speak, but she felt a warm hand land on her shoulder. She looked up and saw her dad walking towards the woman. Which she had no problem with. Her dad could probably handle this woman better than she could.

“I’m Mike,” he said, placing his hand on his chest. “This is my wife, Vanessa,” he gestured over towards her. “This is our daughter, Bloom.” He placed his other hand on her other shoulder. “Yesterday we found out our daughter, for some crazy reason, has magic. Stel– Miss Davenwood?– _Princess_ Stella? Whatever you call her, she told me and my family about this school. She said it could help Bloom control her powers. So we’re here to find out about the registration process.”

Stella just stared at Mike, looking absolutely disgusted.

“Wait a minute,” Ms. G asked. She sounded panicked and skeptical. “You only found out about your daughter’s magic yesterday?” She looked at Bloom before staring at Mike and Vanessa. “She appears to be in her late teens. How could you have overlooked her magic? Surely you started noticing it when she was at least six!”

“Yeah,” Mike said, “So about that–”

“Her planet kinda made that impossible,” Stella interrupted. Ms. G turned towards her, staring at Stella like she had two heads. Unless that was a normal thing here.

“I beg your pardon?” Ms. G asked. “I don’t recall asking you for an answer.”

“Just trust me,” Stella said. “I know what I’m doing.”

Ms. G stared at Stella before sighing.

Stella cleared her throat. “When I was on Bloom’s planet, I had such a difficult time recovering my magic. So much so that even the tonic the Specialists gave me wasn’t really working. The magic on that planet is pretty much smothered. It could be that Bloom’s magic was finally able to show itself when she was in mortal danger.” Stella began absentmindedly twirling a piece of hair on her finger. “Quite simple reasoning, really. I thought you would know that, Ms. G.”

Ms. G let out a long, annoyed groan. “Miss Davenwood, surely you have–” She stopped as her face turned from annoyance to surprise to anger. “Wait, mortal danger? What trouble did you cause this time? Is this why you called Red Fountain?”

“It wasn’t my fault!” Stella raised her hands up like she was under arrest.

“Sure,” Ms. G said, once again annoyed. “Just like blowing up the potions lab while in there with no authorization wasn’t your fault.” She pushed up her glasses. “Thanks to your antics, that room won’t be accessible for the next month at the earliest!”

“You blew up a potions lab?” Bloom smirked.

“That’s not important right now,” Stella grumbled. “Anywho, what happened was that I simply tried to gate jump from that barmy ogre I mentioned, but I got in a bit of a scuffle and accidentally ran into my new mate here on…” She tapped her finger on her chin. “Bloom, what was the name of your planet, again? Planet Dirt?”

“Earth,” Bloom sighed, “planet Earth.”

Before anyone could say anything, a large ‘thwack’ rang through the area. Bloom looked over and saw that Ms. G had dropped her clipboard and was looking like she saw a ghost. She stared at Bloom while slowly reaching down for said clipboard. “Where,” she asked, her voice shaking. “Where did you say were from again?”

“Earth,” Bloom repeated, clicking her tongue at the end of her statement. Why was this woman acting so odd about this one word?

“Earth…” Ms. G tapped her chin with her pen. “Like the Earth? The planet that has numerous realms and several inhabitable neighboring planets?”

Mike nodded. Ms. G gasped, almost dropping her clipboard again. Bloom simply stared at the woman’s strange behavior.

“Not the reaction I expected,” Stella stated. “Who knew she’d be so starstruck?”

“Actual Earthlings,” she whispered. She dashed over and grabbed Mike’s hands. “This is so unreal! I haven’t seen real live Earthlings in so many years.” Something must have registered in her brain, as her face turned from happiness to disappointment. “I wish I had my camera for this.” She shook her head before smiling again. Letting go of Mike’s hands, she made her way over to Vanessa and grabbed her arms. “Is your daughter really a fairy? Or are you here for something else?”

“Yes, our daughter is a fairy– are you pinching me?” Vanessa asked, looked completely bewildered.

Ms. G let go of Vanessa’s arm, her face bright red. “Excuse me for my curiosity. It’s just been such a long time, not to mention the confusion from your presence on campus. How did you get in? The barrier should have halted you at the edge of the Enchanted forest.”

“Just a little Stella special,” Stella snapped her fingers and winked. “Couldn’t let Bloom come here without her mum and dad.”

Bloom simply rolled her eyes at Stella’s flare.

“Why am I not surprised?” Ms. G muttered before she cleared her throat. “Miss Davenwood, you can go to your room. Same one as last year. And follow the rules this time.”

“I make no promises,” Stella replied, crossing her fingers. “Cheerio, Bloom. Good luck with registration.” She waved at Bloom before walking away. Bloom watched her leave, doing her best to ignore the nervous lump in her throat. Out of all the times for Stella to leave, it had to be now. She had to leave Bloom and her family with a crazy woman.

Ms. G turned toward Bloom. “You. Come with me. As well as your parents. We’ll have to meet with Headmistress Faragonda about this.” She grabbed Bloom’s hand, dragging her towards the main building. Bloom could hear her father grunt as he once again battled against the suitcase.

“Just leave that here,” Ms. G said once she reached the front door. “No need to bring it along.” She let go of Bloom’s hand.

“What about Kiko?” Bloom asked, holding up her cat. The cat was mere inches away from Ms. G’s face. Kiko simply let out a small ‘meow’ at the woman.

She looked at Kiko before leaning to the side and looking Bloom in the eyes. Leaning back in, she was once again face to face with Kiko.

“I suppose you can bring him along,” she said. “just don’t let go of him.”

“Yay!” Bloom pulled Kiko back to her before grabbing one of his paws, squishing the toe beans. “You hear that? You get to come along.”

Kiko let out another ‘meow’ in response.

Ms. G opened up the front door, gesturing in Bloom and her family. They walked through the doors and Ms. G made her way back to the front of the pack.

“I can’t believe this is happening. Earthlings in Magix!” She muttered as her heels clicked on the floor.

“Yes, because complete and utter shock is exactly the kind of reaction you want to hear when mentioning where you’re from,” Mike grumbled. Bloom couldn’t care less about her father’s complaining when the main hall hosted several well-done landscape paintings on pillars and tapestries. She'll have to come back and study those paintings closer, see if she could pick up an idea of what techniques they used to look so good.

“I do apologize for my behavior,” Ms. G said. “I simply didn’t expect to see Earthlings. Not like that’s a bad thing,” Out of the corner of Bloom’s eye, she could see Ms. G bite on a nail. “Headmistress Faragonda will be able to explain everything… hopefully.”

“All right then,” Mike said as he made his way up the large staircase. “Since we have time, mind telling us who you are?”

“I am Ms. Jeanie P. Griselda, head of discipline and deputy headmistress of Alfea,” she answered. “I’m not sure what traditions you currently have on Earth, but here in Magix, it is considered respectful to refer to faculty members and such by their last names.” Bloom could see her push up her glasses as she turned to the right. “Typically, you do that unless you’re of equal or higher authority. Or, in rare cases, you have one of those free-spirited teachers,” she curled her fingers around the last three words. “I expect the same level of respect from your parents.”

“So, is this a planet-wide thing or a dimensional thing?” Bloom asked, her voice slightly cracking.

Ms. G– Griselda turned around and gave Bloom a cautious look. That single glance sent Bloom back down a few steps.

“Both,” she said, pushing her places up. “Both the planet and the dimension are called Magix.” She made her way further up the stairs.

“Huh,” Bloom muttered before rushing back up.

At the top of the stairs were two wide doors. They had glistening stained glass windows with wooden floral patterns etched on underneath. The glass shone like nothing Bloom had ever seen before. It seemed to hypnotize her, as she could not look away. She was so enriched by the glass she didn’t even realize she had begun reaching for it until Griselda swatted away her hand.

“Allow me,” she said before knocking on the door.

“Come in,” an elderly voice sang.

The door opened right on cue, a cool breeze sweeping through the area. Bloom and her family walked in to see a spacious office. Large bookshelves covered each side and the back wall was made completely of glass. In front of the windows was an impressively large desk with an equally impressive black chair. Said chair was currently occupied by an elderly woman with short, white curly hair, gold hooped earrings, and horn-rimmed glasses. She wore a navy-blue vest over a long-sleeved, pink shirt with ruffles.

There was a large stack of forms on her desk, likely the stuff she was dealing with before calling her guests in. She pushed them to the side and smiled at her company. “Welcome!”

“Headmistress Faragonda,” Griselda began. “These people–”

“In a minute, Jeanie,” Headmistress Faragonda said. She stood up from her chair and made her way to the front of the room. Without the desk in the way, Bloom could see she was wearing a long, pink skirt and small, navy blue heels. “First we need to treat our guests,” she looked at Bloom and her family. “I don’t recognize your faces, so it must be your first year. Please, take a seat.”

She waved her hand in the air and three chairs moved from the walls to the front of the desk.

Bloom couldn’t stop smiling, and judging by the looks on her parent’s faces, neither could they. Faragonda’s first impression was, in Bloom’s opinion, a big step up from Griselda’s. Bloom didn’t need to be told twice to take a seat, happily making her way to the desk and sitting in the center. Her mom took the left seat while her dad took the right.

“Now before we begin anything, I must know your names,” Faragonda said as she made her way back to her chair.

“Um, well,” Mike began, “I’m Mike Mason,” he pointed at himself. “This is my wife, Vanessa,” he gestured towards her.

“Hello there,” Vanessa said, giving a small wave.

“And this is our daughter, Bloom,” Mike said, placing his left hand on her right shoulder.

“Oh, such nice names,” Faragonda said, her voice ringing like silver bells.

Griselda cleared her throat again, and Bloom nearly jumped out of her chair. Quickly looking around the room, she saw that Griselda had moved up quite a bit, as she was now right next to Vanessa’s seat. “Faragonda, these–”

“In a minute, Jeanie,” Faragonda interrupted. “First, we have to offer our patient guests a snack.” Griselda let out a huff while Faragonda waved her hand over a blank spot on her desk. Out of thin air, a plate of cookies appeared. They smelled so good like they had just been taken out of the oven. Bloom was positive if she wasn’t biting her lip, she’d be drooling over them. “Would you like a cookie?” The headmistress asked.

Bloom didn’t waste a second taking a cookie. She held herself back from eating the whole thing in one bite. The more she restrained herself, the more cookies she’d have left to enjoy. Upon her first bite, her eyes widened as far as they could stretch. She closed her eyes as everything faded away, only leaving behind the sweet, sweet taste of the cookie. Warm chocolate melted in her mouth. Soft cookie chunks dissolved away. Everything tasted like Heaven. God, she was probably smiling like an idiot at how good they were. She abandoned any restraint she had before and ate the rest in one bite. 

Faragonda let out a soft chuckle. “I take it that you like them.”

Bloom nodded as she licked the crumbs off her lips.

“You wouldn’t be the first,” Faragonda said. “My family’s toffee and chocolate chip recipe tend to win people over in one bite.

“Chocolate?” Bloom said even though her mouth was full. “You have chocolate here?”

“Of course,” she said. “It’s a very popular delicacy here. I do love to use it for my cooking.” She picked up a cookie herself. “I’m always happy to see people like them. If you ever need a quick snack, just drop by my office. I always have a plate out.” She took a polite bite out of her cookie. “If you want another cookie, please, have one.”

Bloom’s excitement burst through the roof. She couldn’t help but picture a little cartoon version of her with literal stars in her eyes. She turned towards both of her parents, constantly rotating her head to see both of them. “Can I please go here? Pretty please with a cherry on top? If you do, I promise to always help out at the flower shop when I’m on holiday!”

“Hold on,” Mike said, rubbing his forehead. “We’re not letting you come here just because they have chocolate. Now can we please get back to the matter at hand?”

“As I was trying to say–” Griselda said. Bloom jumped in her seat again, as she had forgotten Griselda was still in the room. “–Headmistress Faragonda, Princess Stella Davenwood arrived a short bit ago and brought these people with her.” She pointed at Bloom. “According to the Princess, this young lady right here has discovered her magic exactly yesterday. To add more to the mystery, the young girl and her family are apparently from Earth.” She held no punches with that last word, strongly emphasizing it.

Faragonda’s warm and sunny expression shifted into a deeply concerned frown. Hints of curiosity were sprinkled throughout her expression. “Oh my,” she raised her hand to her mouth.

“Okay,” Mike stood up, pushing his chair slightly back. “This is getting ridiculous,” He pinched his forehand with his hand as if he had a headache. “Why is it whenever someone mentions the simple fact we’re from Earth, everyone responds like we just mentioned we’re in a demon worshiping cult? Is there some kind of context I’m missing?!”

Faragonda blushed, a rosy pink gracing her cheeks. “My apologies, Mike. I had assumed Jeanie’d filled you in.”

“I just remembered I need to make a phone call,” Griselda blurted out. Her face was bright red, almost looking like a kid with their hand caught in the cookie jar. “To confirm Miss Davenwood’s story. I was just staying behind in case you needed me.” She slowly began backing up to the door. Fumbling for the handle, she opened the door, slipped out, and closed the door with a small ‘click.’

“Did anyone else just see that?” Bloom asked, swallowing a bite of cookie.

“Of course, Bloom,” Faragonda chuckled. “She’s just the type that gets embarrassed by mistakes. A rare occurrence from her, but her reactions are hilarious.”

Mike slipped back into his chair, letting out a long sigh. Bloom grabbed another cookie and handed it over to him. Sitting up, Mike slowly took the cookie from her.

“Now then,” Faragonda pushed up her glasses. She opened up a desk drawer, pulling out a cup of tea that was miraculously steaming hot. Perhaps she just kept a kettle down there? Or this was another magical trick?

“Did Jeanie or Miss Stella ever mention ‘Ancestral Witches’ around you?” She asked. A small frown crept across her face, and the room seemed to turn eerily cold.

“Witches? Yes. Ancestral? No,” Mike took a bite out of his cookie, his face lighting up at the taste.

“Neither of them did,” Vanessa said. “and judging by your reaction, it can’t be anything good.”

“I see.” She picked up her teacup, taking a slow sip before placing it back down. She folded her hands on top of her desk. “I’m going to tell you a story. A story where magic once lived in harmony with your home before reaching a tragic end.

“Over a thousand years ago, there were fairies, witches, and wizards on Earth. They lived and walked beside the rest of humanity. In order to preserve balance and harmony between all groups, a band of magi came together to form the White Circle. The White Circle’s purpose was to settle disputes between the various races, working towards a peaceful, productive future.

“But not everyone liked this peace. Some magi thought of humans as lower life forms. That they would prevent ‘true peace’ just by existing. Three witches banded together to create that ‘true peace’ for all to enjoy. Donning the name ‘Ancestral Witches,’ they traveled across the Earth to begin assembling their paradise.

“These witches cultivated a powerful army of devoted followers, a ruthless collection of magi that slaughtered humans without remorse. Their hatred knew no bounds, as these people murdered any magi that opposed them. But for some, murder was not enough. The fiercest of the followers found ways to steal magic from magi, ripping wings off fairies, sucking the power from witches and wizards. The creators of these horrid skills called themselves the Black Circle, a force that would demolish the White Circle they preyed upon.

“For many moons, this horrid war raged on. Countless lives were lost, with neither side free from bloodshed. Eventually, the White Circle emerged victoriously. The highest-ranking members of the Ancestral Witches, including the Black Circle, were imprisoned under many chains, far away from anyone they could hurt.

“Sadly, too much damage had been done. Even with the Ancestral Witches locked away, tensions between humans and magi did not cease. The humans harbored resentment, resentment that had grown with every life lost to a magus’ hands. Those hurting the most began hunting any and every magus around, leading them to painful deaths regardless of their innocence. Fearing for their sanity, their freedom, and their lives, the remaining magi fled Earth, retreating here to Magix. To ensure no hunters would follow and bring their chaos, all ties to Earth were cut clean, with travel there heavily discouraged or even outlawed.

“Time continued to pass. Without any magi left on Earth, the magic faded away from the human conscience. It was simply a thing of make-believe, the stuff for children. Any records of magical persecution were marked up to insane delusions about innocent people. A few brave magi have tried hiding, only using their magic in secret. We don’t know much about them. Most people assume these magi were eventually found and taken away, or worse, killed like their ancestors. Whatever the case is, magic, for all intents and purposes, was wiped from Earth.”

"What does that mean for me?" Bloom finally questioned, slightly shaken.

Faragonda stared at her straight into the girl’s cyan eyes. "It means if you were to return home, you might be in grave danger.” The white-haired paused once she noticed the family shared the same reaction towards her statement. “And by your horrified expressions I realize that was not the best thing to say. We have no reason to not believe the Ancestral Witches don’t still exist there, but we just want you to be safe if you are telling the truth about your powers."

Vanessa started breathing erratically. "We can't let our pumpkin get hurt," She turned towards her daughter, who was staring at her oddly, then immediately smothered Bloom in a hug. "We can't risk something bad happening to her!"

“Mom, I can’t breathe!” Bloom shouted, flailing her arms around.

"Darling, please calm down," Mike comforted. "You really took that story to heart."

"Why wouldn't I?" Vanessa replied, releasing the frazzled redhead from her grip. "Those poor beings, driven away from their home because of the damage of the Ancestral Witches. Losing trust with the people they once lived in peace with, how could people be so evil? The thought of Bloom being in danger of those Witches? It’s terrifying just to think about it!”

Faragonda looked on at the display with curiosity. "If you don't mind me asking, do either of you have any sort of magical powers?"

"Not really." Mike shook his head. "I can juggle."

“And are you absolutely sure neither of you possesses any powers whatsoever? Neither of you is a witch, fairy, wizard? Just normal non-magi?" She lowered her glasses while her eyes shifted from Mike to Vanessa.

"I assure you, Ms. Faragonda, my wife and I aren't magical like our daughter. Just regular ol' humans," Mike replied.

“And Bloom, if you don’t mind me asking, are you sure you have powers?” Faragonda questioned, turning to her.

“I am.” Bloom nodded. “Something happened in the forest yesterday and this fire just… came out of my hands.”

“Fire?” Faragonda questioned.

Bloom nodded, staring down at her hands. “I haven’t been able to turn my powers back on since then. If that makes sense.”

Faragonda smiled. “It does, and if that's the case, we want to protect you at all costs. I think it might be safe if you stay at Alfea. Not only will she be able to hone her new powers, but she'll be protected from any informants from the Ancestral Witches. Although, if she doesn't want to enroll here, we can gladly contact other schools that might fit her."

Bloom’s eyes widened at the mention of other magical schools; she had to resist the urge to bounce in her seat, much to her parents' amusement.

“That sounds good,” Mike said, glancing at his excited daughter then back to Faragonda. "Can you tell us what your school might provide for her?"

"I'd be glad to," Faragonda replied, her jovial tone returning. "Here at Alfea, we teach young girls how to utilize their powers by using positive energy such as good memories or feelings. We also teach them how to protect themselves against dark powers and how to fight. We pride our school on helping out every girl who attends, to be the best fairy they can be."

Bloom smiled upon hearing that. Even though she was still wary about having powers and being a fairy, she still wanted to learn more about what she was and what she could do.

"There are two other schools located in the area," the headmistress continued. "Red Fountain School for Heroics and Bravery for Specialists and Wizards and Cloud Tower for Witches and Warlocks. Our schools frequently have big get-togethers during the school year and cross-school friends and dating are allowed.”

"From what I saw yesterday, Red Fountain seems pretty militaristic, and I'm not sure a military school is for me," Bloom replied. "What about the witches? Why are they so different from fairies?"

"Well, witches aren't really known for using positive energy when drawing magic. They use negative energy like personal trauma and negative emotions, such as anger or depression to harness their magic.” Faragonda explained. “I would never want to experience that, but the students are trained to use their powers for fighting enemies much like here at Alfea. I’ve fought with a few in the past.”

“Was it awesome?” Bloom asked eagerly.

Faragonda nodded. “Very.”

Bloom couldn’t help pumping her fist in triumph, causing the elderly lady to laugh jovially. Bloom’s parents, on the other hand, were alarmed at the prospect of their daughter fighting monsters again.

"If these schools don't interest you, there are other ones such as Beta Academy, although they are pretty exclusive. Sierra Grove Academy is pretty nice. There's also the co-ed school, Linphea College, but they're mostly similar to Red Fountain, and there's also the Golden Auditorium, but that's a music school." Faragonda chuckled as she looked through her desk. "There's more but curse my old age, I forget where I put those brochures.”

"That's not necessary. I think I'll go here," Bloom said, trying not to giggle as she watched the old woman struggling to keep a large stack of papers from toppling over. “This place seems interesting, plus Stella is here. So I know someone here.”

Faragonda gasped. "Did you already make a friend?"

"Um, I guess you can call it that. After battling an ogre, imps, and a troll, we sort of bonded." Bloom shrugged, chuckling.

"I couldn't agree more. Dragons are also pretty good for that. That's how I met my first best friend," the elderly woman said with a tiny twinkle in her eyes.

Mike sighed, rubbing his forehead. “That’s fantastic to hear when I’m about to leave my daughter here.”

Vanessa giggled as she patted her exhausted husband’s back. Bloom, on the other hand, became even more excited at the prospect of dragons existing.

"There are dragons here too? You've fought a dragon? You fought a dragon with another person?" Bloom exclaimed. "No, wait, answer the second question first."

Mike cleared his throat before Faragonda could answer Bloom’s questions. "If you don't mind me interjecting before we sign anything, I have two concerns I'd like to address."

"Yes?" the headmistress asked, turning her attention back to the man.

"Okay, to start off, the money issue and possible admittance fee… I doubt our money will even work around here.”

"Stop right there!" Faragonda said, putting up a hand. The elderly woman bounced in her chair, much to the confusion of the family. "I have something perfect to help you: The Alfea Scholarship Program. Normally we use this helpful scholarship for poor or low-income families to help them out. Seeing as you don't really have money that will work here, that counts. She will also receive a lump sum of money from it every month. So, everyone wins!" She clapped her hands. "But I do advise students to look into part-time work, just so they won’t blow all that tuition money in one go… I’ve had so many students make that mistake it’s not even funny.”

Faragonda retrieved her teacup again, this time pulling out a teapot as well. She casually poured the steaming hot liquid into the cup as the family looked on, unsure why she had a tea set in her desk drawer, but Mike continued on with his grievances after a second passed.

"Okay. Second concern: Bloom— or, for a matter of fact, all of us —were only introduced to all of… _this,_ literally yesterday," he said, gesturing towards the window. "Will Bloom be at a disadvantage when it comes to training or studying here?"

"Oh, Mr. Mason, people come from all over the realm to study at Alfea. Their skill sets in terms of magic range from student to student. Some are late bloomers like your daughter and get their powers a year or two before turning fifteen, some were homeschooled, others went to public school, some were taught at private schools, and some have never even gone to school. For them, the first semester is specifically dedicated to making sure all of them are on the same page. And if Bloom starts lagging behind, we have plenty of tutors who can help. Trust me, she's not the first of my students to have a lack of knowledge about magic."

“I’m just the first from Earth,” Bloom mentioned.

Faragonda nodded. “Now you are, of course, welcome to stay on campus until Alfea officially starts in two days. Until then, do whatever you like and I shall take care of the necessary paperwork," Faragonda said, still giddy. "Mr. and Mrs. Mason, I assume you'd like to still keep in touch with Bloom and you're probably wondering, 'But how shall I ever contact my special magical daughter?’ No worries, we can give you a one-line phone, on which you will only be able to contact Bloom."

"Do you think it could look like a carrot and a head of lettuce?" Vanessa asked, giggling. 

Bloom covered her mouth while giggling as well. Mike's left eye began twitching as he slowly turned towards his wife.

"Don't ever bring that up again," he hissed. 

Vanessa shrugged with a sly smile on her face.

Mike groaned as his eyes went back to the confused, yet still smiling elderly woman. "Just make the phone as normal as possible or whatever a normal-looking phone looks like here."

Any further conversation was interrupted by a few knocks on the double door. Faragonda cleared her throat before singing, "Come in!"

Griselda popped her head into the room before fully walking in. Her cheeks were a slight red as if she was flustered. "Headmistress Faragonda, I contacted the Red Fountain administrators and... Miss Davenwood did indeed report an ogre attack. Four students there encountered the monster in person," she reported, scratching her head. "Apparently, some of the staff weren't so happy about this, but everything else checks out."

"Excellent.” Faragonda clapped her hands again. “With that settled, could you bring the proper paperwork for student registration and an Alfea Scholarship form while I finish up with the Masons?”

Griselda gave a civil nod before heading out of the room.

"While we wait for that, Bloom, is there anything else you'd like to know?" Faragonda asked.

"Um, well …" Bloom paused. "I bought a couple of my things here in a suitcase and I was wondering,” she bit the bottom of her lip, “could I bring them to my new dorm room, or do you want me to wait? Also, Stella told me that pets might be allowed here. I really don't want to leave him with my parents; he'll miss me a lot.”

“It’s technically her pet anyways,” Mike added, “and I could go a few months without cat hair everywhere.”

Vanessa lightly slapped her husband’s arm, but Mike simply shrugged in response.

“My father’s already on board,” Bloom said eagerly, cuddling Kiko close to her chest.

Faragonda giggled before saying, "Pets are allowed on campus, but you’ll need to fill out a form for him. Which is right…”

She began frantically opening drawers around her large desk, searching for the form she mentioned. The white-haired lady placed an index finger up as a way to tell the family to wait while she searched. 

Bloom tried looking over the desk, but her father pulled her back. After about a minute of scrambling through her desk, she retrieved the form, fully cleaned and fresh as if it has just been printed, from the bottom drawer of her desk.

“Ah, here it is! Right where I usually leave it. Here you go, darling.” Faragonda handed the paper over to Bloom who stared at it as she took it from her hand. “We just like to know what animal the student brings with them and if they need special accommodations. Just fill that out and return it to me, but until then you are welcome to keep your precious feline here.”

“Yes!” Bloom cheered. 

Kiko let out a soft chipper meow as he placed his paws on the desk. He stared at the Headmistress who’s smile grew wider at the presence of the adorable fluffy cat. 

“And Bloom,” the white-haired lady said, getting back to the previous discussion. “I'm assuming you left your suitcase downstairs?”

Bloom nodded.

"You can leave that there; I'll help bring it up later."

"Awesome, thanks," Bloom thanked with an earnest smile. "So, what do I do now?"

"Right now,” Faragonda said, shuffling through papers. “I have a few calls to make while you and your parents are escorted to your new room. I'm assuming you'd like to be in an apartment with your new friend?" 

Bloom pondered about that decision for a moment. While she and Stella had a rocky start, she didn't dislike the girl. She was only unsure if she'd be able to deal with the princess, and she hadn’t had many friends like her, but she wanted to try and get to know her. Plus it’d be pretty cool to be friends with a princess of her own planet.

"It would be nice having someone I know rooming with me," the redhead admitted. "I think that can work."

"Okay, well, in that case, you're very lucky you met me today. There is a room available in the apartment adjacent to her.”

“That sounds great. Thanks, um, Headmistress... Faragonda?" Bloom awkwardly said.

Faragonda rolled her eyes. “Oh, Headmistress Faragonda sounds so strict. I always hated calling my headmaster that when I attended Alfea. Just call me Faragonda.” 

Faragonda moved her finger across her head and a flurry of sparkles danced around her as she said that. Bloom and her mother looked on in amazement while Mike just slumped back in his chair.

Bloom elbowed her dad.

“I’ve had enough magic for today,” Mike replied.

Faragonda made a feigned shocked gesture by placing her hand on her heart.

“Don’t mind him, a troll destroyed his TV last night,” Vanessa excused to Faragonda.

“You said that… like it was a normal thing!” Mike hissed. 

“Oh, Mr. Mason, I know that unpleasantries like that can sour your view on magic, but I swear to you, that your daughter will be learning fun magic like-”

“Like turning things into other things she can’t change back?” Mike questioned, with a raised eyebrow.

“Why yes exactly like that,” Faragonda said, with a small gulp. “May I offer you another cookie?”

The elderly lady was trying to ease the tension and doubt within Mike, but he simply snatched the cookie off the plate, slumped back in his chair, and ate it. 

“Seriously... ignore him, he’s just cranky,” Bloom advised grabbing another cookie as well. She had eaten the small stack she made only a few minutes ago much to the elderly woman’s surprise.

Faragonda shrugged.

The tension was eased when the door opened one more time, Ms. Griselda strolled in, walking directly towards Faragonda's desk. She handed her a couple of text-heavy filled papers that the elderly woman quickly scanned over.

"Well Bloom, all you need to do is sign the bottom line," she said, passing the papers and a pen over to the young girl.

"Let me just look over these," Mike said, snatching the forms. He scanned over the pages carefully, checking for rules that might change his daughter’s mind. "This seems legit, so long as there isn't anything written in tiny, unreadable print." 

Griselda grumbled, offended at those claims.

“You don’t have a complicated and convoluted uniform policy do you? That involves wearing nothing but plaid?” Mike asked.

Bloom’s eyes widened at that comment, she detested the dress code at her high school and that was casual attire, she definitely wasn’t prepared for if the school had an ugly plaid uniform she’d have to wear every day and her father knew that.

“N- no? Not that I’m aware of,” Faragonda answered, confused.

“I wanted there to be one, but somebody thinks students should express themselves instead of dressing like respectable adults,” Griselda said, crossing her arms.

Faragonda giggled, “Oh, Jeanie, you always know how to make me laugh.”

Mike sighed as Bloom stared at him impatiently. "Well, Bloom, it’s up to you." Somberly, he passed over the papers and a pen to his daughter.

The redhead nodded and without a second thought signed her name on the dotted line.

"Welcome to Alfea, Bloom," Faragonda said. "Now, Jeanie, would you kindly escort our new student and her parents to her apartment while I deal with other matters?"

"Yes, Headmistress," Griselda said with a bow. "You three, follow me."

Bloom and her parents reluctantly stood up and followed behind the lady.

“So, can we call you Jeanie, now?” Bloom asked. 

Griselda groaned. “Don’t push it.”

***

As the group was led down a long hallway to the dorms, Bloom glanced at every new painting or sculpture. Straining her neck as she did so, she was making a plan to grab her phone and take pictures of them later. After another few minutes of walking, the group arrived at a red-tinted door. 

Griselda turned towards Bloom and showed her a small, golden key. "This key opens both your apartment and your room respectively. Try not to lose it; we charge a fee for replacements." Then without another word, she opened the door and ushered them inside.

The room inside seemed surprisingly normal to Bloom. The floor was adorned with beige carpeting as well as the walls. In the room, there were two green sofas with armrests surrounding a coffee table, a large flat-screen television was hanging on one of the walls facing the sofa, a desk in one of the corners, some potted plants, a small kitchen behind the countertop, and a bookshelf that was halfway filled with books.

"Damn, this is nice," Bloom said breathlessly.

Griselda flinched at the profanity, but Bloom didn’t seem to notice.

"I recognize that voice," a familiar voice said, and in a second, Stella came running up to her from one of the common rooms. She looked more vibrant and energized than she had before. "Blimey, you're here. Does this mean you'll be rooming with me - because that would be totally ace - or are you just visiting because you missed me?"

"Actually, being away from you was quite refreshing," Bloom said jokingly. "But to answer your question, yes, I'm going to be in the same apartment as you. Something about a lack of rooms and they had to pair me up with an annoying princess."

"Suuuure," Stella said, stretching out the word. She bumped her hip next to Bloom’s before adding, "Welcome, either way."

Bloom smirked, rubbing her hip. It would take her a while to get used to that. "You look much better than before.”

"Why, thank you," Stella said, casually posing in front of the group. "After I left you guys, I rushed to the nurse and got myself healed right up. I needed that after the messy battle we went through, but I feel great now!" She grabbed Bloom’s hand. "Enough about that, though. Would you like to check out my room? It's a single. Absolutely perfect for me! Plus, you can check out some outfits I've been working on."

The redhead looked at her parents to ask them before Vanessa replied. "It’s fine. We'll be talking with Griselda while you get to know your second home."

Bloom nodded before being led away into Stella’s room. "Well, seeing as we're alone for the moment," Griselda said, breaking the silence. "I would like to know more about your family."

Mike looked at Vanessa before asking, "What would you like to know?"

Griselda double-clicked her pen and readied her clipboard. "It's obvious you and your wife possess no magical powers whatsoever, but it must run in your blood. It has probably been suppressed in your bloodline due to the low ambient of magic. So, I must ask, do you think you have any ancestors that possessed magic?" 

Mike’s eyes shifted to his wife, who had sucked in her bottom lip nervously. 

"Um, about that," he started. "We’re not entirely sure where she could’ve gotten her magic powers from. I don’t know a lot about my family, but I’m pretty sure there’s no magic in it.”

Griselda’s eyes shifted towards Vanessa. The startled woman tensed up when the deputy headmistress’s eyes met hers. “What about you?”

“Oh, she doesn’t-” Mike started before Vanessa placed her hand up to silence him.

“I don’t have any magic powers, that’s true, but a lot of my family does know about magic… sorta,” Vanessa answered, fiddling her fingers. “You see, I come from a family of faery Wiccans.”

“What?” Griselda stared at the woman confused.

“Yeah, what?” Mike questioned turning to his wife. He placed his hands on his hips, shocked. “You told me only your sisters were Wiccans, not the entire family.”

“Faery Wiccans, I’ve told you once or twice in the past,” Vanessa said, waving away her husband’s surprise. “You just weren’t listening.”

“Because you barely tell me anything about them,” Mike whispered angrily. “That’s not something you just ignore. Nessa, we’ve been married for over fourteen years and you neglected to tell me that your entire family are freaking Wiccans!”

“Stella was right, you do yell a lot,” Vanessa said, with a coy smile.

“Vanessa-” Mike started.

“Excuse me,” Griselda interrupted smoothly, snapping the couple’s attention back to her. “Now Wiccans, I’ve heard that before, it’s basically witchcraft, right?”

Vanessa laughed much to the deputy headmistress’s surprise, “Not exactly. This is pretty complicated to explain, and I’d rather not go into an entire history lesson. You see, faery Wiccan basically just emphasizes the fae, you know, fairies, goblins, pixies, and the sort, and their relation to the natural world.” She paused for a moment, “It's kind of a broad spectrum that’s hard to explain without pulling out the Wikipedia page for it, you know?” Griselda stared at the brunette blankly along with Mike.

Vanessa coughed nervously before continuing on, “Anywho, I know it's kind of occult-ish, but I don't think anyone really knows or agrees on what Wicca is at this point. Then there’s a ritualistic practice which isn’t really necessary. Most of my family practice the Wicca religion except for my dad and me. My mom and sisters never really had me practice, so I just never really did it on the regular. So yeah, that’s my family." 

Vanessa never liked talking about her family, but if it meant helping her daughter, bringing them up was the best thing she could do.

“Hm, fascinating,” Griselda said, scribbling down every word on her clipboard. “My first meeting with a human and Wiccan. This is more exciting than when I got that pleated pantsuit on sale.”

“Yeah… something like that,” Vanessa said, trying to sound equally impressed. 

Meanwhile, Mike stared at his wife shocked, his mouth agape. He knew his wife’s family was weird, but all he ever seemed to know was her sisters were practicing Wiccans and that was it. He wasn’t sure what to say, but he knew one thing, this was probably the weirdest day of his life.

The brunette simply rolled her eyes and closed her husband’s mouth. “I keep telling you my family is weird.”

“We are talking about this later,” Mike said, stamping his foot.

“Of course, sweetie,” Vanessa bopped Mike’s nose with her index finger. 

His face turned bright pink.

“Some like me didn’t buy into all that Wiccan stuff… until now,” Vanessa admitted. “Shame I can’t tell anybody else this, they’ll think I’m crazy. No offense.”

“None taken,” Griselda said unfazed. "This new information does make it more difficult to track her bloodline, but your family should be safe."

The couple breathed a sigh of relief.

Griselda’s eyes moved her clipboard after a brief second of writing, to the family. She stalked closed towards them making the couple cower in fear.

“I will only repeat this once, so I expect honesty,” she said, her eyes narrowing. “You are absolutely, positively, one hundred percent telling me the truth right now? Not leaving anything out?”

“N- nothing at all,” Mike and Vanessa stammered in unison.

“All right then.” Griselda stepped back then jotted down more notes on her clipboard, keeping an eye on the couple. They both smiled nervously. "I will inform Faragonda, and we’ll keep this information confidential for the time being.”

“And you’ll keep Bloom safe?” Vanessa questioned, clasping her hands together.

Griselda nodded. “We will.”

“Oh, bless you!” Vanessa exclaimed, wrapping her arms around the woman into a tight hug that startled both Griselda and Mike. 

"I'm only doing my job, Mrs. Mason," Griselda replied while struggling to breathe. As Vanessa lingered with her hug, the uncomfortable brunette's eyes shifted towards the blond man. "Get her off me."

"Come on, 'Nessa, you've hugged her long enough," Mike said, tapping his wife on the shoulder.

Vanessa pulled back, a wide grin on her face.

Griselda's face was flushed as she adjusted her glasses. "I do not like physical contact. A note for next time, Mrs. Mason."

“Got it, sorry I just don’t want my precious little baby girl to get hurt,” Vanessa said with a slight blush on her cheek. “Oh, my goodness, I forgot to mention she gets stressed easily and can run herself ragged. We should probably send her those vitamins to take.”

Mike patted his wife on her back. “She hasn’t taken those since she was twelve.”

"Does not take vitamins," Griselda mumbled, jotting down on her clipboard still visibly uncomfortable. "Anything else? No. In that case, we'll take all this information into consideration for her social life and education at Alfea."

The couple nodded as Bloom and Stella returned from the blonde's room with Bloom chuckling as Stella’s face was bright pink. 

“It’s not that funny!” Stella exclaimed, crossing her arms.

“You’re right,” Bloom said, continuing to laugh. “It's hilarious! You really thought you’d create a new shade of pink and it literally blew up in your face.”

“Right, whatever,” Stella said, putting her hands on her hips. “Anyways, Michael, Vanessa, how is the interrogation going?”

"Why do you keep calling me Michael?" Mike questioned, scratching his head.

"The 'interrogation' has concluded and went perfectly, Miss Davenwood," Griselda replied, going back to the former subject.

“Now that it’s over,” Mike said, changing the subject. “I have to ask, how are we going to get back home?"

"I can take care of that," Stella said, playing with her ring. "Just have to open another portal."

“No!” The Mason family exclaimed, startling the princess and deputy headmistress. 

“I never want to go through that whirlwind mind screw trip again," Mike said, still feeling queasy. 

“My ears still haven’t popped yet,” Vanessa said, sticking a finger in her ear.

"Blimey, I said I was sorry," Stella pouted. "You'll get used to it."

"Even so, the school will be taking care of their travel back to Earth," Griselda said sternly. "It'll be much safer, Mr. Mason. We can do it as soon as Headmistress Faragonda has finished the other business. I will give the three of you approximately two minutes to say your goodbyes."

The deputy headmistress walked out of the room, leaving the Masons and Stella alone. Bloom noticed the blonde girl still standing there, swaying on her heels.

When Bloom glared at her, Stella took the hint. "You know what, I should work on those modifications for my outfits."

She waved before scurrying back into her room.

"Um…" Bloom slowly said, shuffling on her feet. "I'm going to miss you or whatever, but don't worry, everything should be okay, even though it started out as a bit of a hassle to get through and-"

Bloom stopped talking as her mother pulled her into a tight hug. Mike followed by enveloping both women in his arms.

Bloom could barely breathe, but this time she didn't mind, knowing she'd be a universe away from her parents. The family stood there silently hugging each other for a long minute before pulling apart. Vanessa and Bloom had small tears in their eyes.

"Whew, there must be something in the air that's making me tear up," Bloom said, rubbing her eyes.

Vanessa chuckled lightly giving her daughter’s hand a squeeze.

"I honestly don't know what I'll do without you guys," Bloom admitted, trying to hold back her tears.

"Just remember that we love you," Mike said, placing a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "And that we're always here for you."

"We’re so proud of you,” Vanessa said, her eyes shining. “And remember to always brush your teeth, wash your hair, shower, keep your room clean, and if they have a laundromat here, do what I taught you. Also-"

Mike silenced Vanessa with a finger to her lips. Bloom bit back a laugh as Mike looked fondly at his daughter.

“Just remember, we’re one phone call away if you’re having any trouble.” Mike reminded her.

"I know," Bloom replied. "And I love you guys." She gave them an earnest smile knowing she meant every word. 

Faragonda entered the room a second later, breaking up the tender family moment. It was time to go. She had a wide grin on her face, as usual.

“Good news, Mason’s, the team that was sent to your house reported no negative findings and your house is in great condition!”

“How great can it be when there’s a hole in it?” Mike asked.

“Oh, you’ll see,” Faragonda said excitedly. The family stared at her oddly as her joyful expression stayed the same. "Also, before you leave, here's your new phone." Faragonda pulled out a black and silver cell phone from her pocket. "It will only be able to call Bloom, but she can call the number from any phone. The number is on the back. I made it as basic as possible since I am not sure how advanced the technology is on Earth."

"A flip phone?" Bloom asked, staring at the phone. "This is old even for our dimension."

“Oh my, really? Well, I can get it exchanged for a higher mode-” Faragonda said reaching for the phone, but Mike swiftly swiped the phone out of her hands, surprising the old woman.

“This is perfect!” he said, putting the phone in his pocket. “Nice and simple. Nothing weird."

“A fairy princess turns one phone into vegetables and he’s sworn off magic,” Bloom whispered loudly to Faragonda making the woman laugh. 

Once she was met with a glare from her father, she simply stuck her tongue out at him causing him to stick his back at her. He was going to miss her more than he realized. 

Faragonda clapped cheerfully. "Now are you two ready to return home?" 

"Yes," Mike answered, taking Vanessa’s hand in his. “We’ve said our goodbyes and all that.”

"Okay then,” Faragonda said, clasping her hands together. “All you two need to do is stand completely still. It's the safest option. Don't want to accidentally gate anything near you. Bloom and I will just step a few feet back." Faragonda grabbed Bloom’s hand and ushered her back much to Mike and Vanessa’s confusion. 

"Gee, you guys sure know how to give someone reassurance," Mike griped.

When Bloom's parents took their place, Faragonda brought up one hand and a bright light started to manifest from it. She closed her eyes and furrowed her brows in concentration, and after a moment, a blast of dazzling colors fired from her palm.

Mike and Vanessa's eyes widened before the light hit them, and then in a flash, they were gone.

"They’re okay, right?" Bloom questioned sounding monotone but concerned.

“Of course, dear,” Faragonda said confidently. “I’ve been at this game before you were born. They’ll be slightly dazed when they get there, but no puking, rashes, hives, or anything missing.”

“All right, then that was awesome,” Bloom admitted.

Faragonda nodded at the compliment before saying, “Oh, and Jeanie informed me you used some colorful language earlier, it doesn’t matter much to me what you say, but just watch using it in front of certain faculty, like her.”

“What about you?” 

“Oh, I couldn’t care less.” Faragonda waved off that concern as she led Bloom out the room to head downstairs to retrieve her suitcase. “I’ve heard worse, used worse, and done worse. A few swear words won’t ruin my morale.”

“Faragonda, I think I’m going to like you.”

"I’m glad.” Faragonda’s bright smile widened. “Now let's get that heavy suitcase of yours so you can get some proper relaxation." She and Bloom silently went downstairs, and the headmistress used her powers to make the heavy suitcase float in the air much to Bloom's relief.

***

After a few seconds of traveling through a portal of flashing and colorful lights, Mike and Vanessa found themselves standing in their living room. Their eyes stayed widened as the room felt as if it was spinning in a haze.

“Well that was much better than the first time,” Mike said before walking into the kitchen. “I need a beer.”

“After that, I can see why-” Vanessa paused, looking around the room. “hey, Mike, do you notice anything different?”

Everything within the living room and kitchen was restored back to its original stable condition. The built-in bookshelf once again held all its books and knickknacks, the couches and armchairs were reassembled, the shattered coffee table was now in one piece, the tv that was once broken partly in half was once again restored to its original condition and even the gaping hole that stuck out for the house was gone entirely. Their house was back to normal.

“Not really,” Mike called from the kitchen. “Everything looks fine.”

"Exactly. Our house is back to normal, they actually repaired everything!" Vanessa said, nearly squealing.

Mike walked back into the room with an open beer bottle and looked around the living room. He noticed everything that was tossed, broken, or knocked over was back in its original place and in one piece. He grinned from ear to ear. 

"Oh, thank God, I don't have to spend thousands of dollars to get this place fixed!” Mike cheered. “They did all of this with magic?”

“I guess so,” Vanessa said, touching the bookshelf. “Wow.”

Vanessa plopped down on the couch, letting out an exhausted sigh as her head fell back. “Should we focus on how we’re going to explain this to the neighbors.”

“Shush,” Mike said, sitting down next to his wife and kissing her. “Let’s just focus on the good things right now.”

Vanessa giggled. “Of course, dear.”

Mike sighed, “This has been the longest two days of my life and that’s saying a lot.”

"If someone told me even half of this would happen, I'd probably call them crazy.” Vanessa bit her bottom lip after a second. “I just wish we didn’t have to lie to that woman about Bloom.”

“Well, what were we going to tell her? ‘Hey, that girl over there isn’t actually our daughter. She’s adopted, but doesn’t know it yet so stay hush hush about it’?” Mike reasoned. “We told her as much as we could without her being suspicious.”

“Because she definitely wasn’t skeptical at all,” Vanessa said sarcastically.

“Well, I wonder who’s fault that was,” Mike said, his head slowly turning to his wife. She simply rolled her eyes, before grabbing his beer bottle and taking a sip. “Look, this isn’t something we can tell some random stranger especially before we tell our own daughter.”

“That’s true,” Vanessa said resting her head on her husband’s shoulder. “We have to tell her soon, once she gets settled in at Alfea. When that happens, she might be… I’m not sure.”

Mike groaned, rubbing his forehead. 

“I think she’ll have fun there… that might make it easier to tell her…” Vanessa paused, scratching her neck. “She’s adopted.”

Mike stared at his wife with an incredulous expression. “I doubt it,” he replied.

Vanessa clasped her hands happily. “You gotta admit though, our special baby having powers is pretty amazing!” 

Mike rolled his eyes. “Yup… Great.”

Vanessa slapped Mike’s arm. “Oh, stop it, like you’ve never thought about magic being real.”

“I have not,” Mike shrugged. “I don't want to be a wizard, witch, or whatever. Bloom can have all that magic nonsense. I'm just glad to be a normal human man married to a beautiful human woman."

Vanessa smirked with a raised eyebrow. “You mean Faire Wiccan.”

Mike laughed. “Of course, my lovely Wiccan wife. I’m still not over that. Out of all the things you could’ve told that woman, why that?”

“Who knew having a strange family would pay off,” Vanessa winked. “And you definitely knew.”

“I did not, I may not be the best listener, but that’s not something you just forget,” Mike defended. “Are you secretly a witch as well?”

“Wiccan and witch are different things, get it right,” Vanessa said with a snap of her fingers.

“Yeah, well, you sure did your research,” Mike noted. “I always thought you were joking around. I didn’t think your ent- most of your family was into that stuff, but I guess it’s not that weird. We do live in California. At least it bought us some time.”

“Hopefully.” Vanessa sighed.

“I can’t believe this is real.”

“Well Michael, it’s in our lives now, whether we want it or not.” Vanessa kissed her husband then rested her head on his shoulder.

***

“Welcome back to your humble abode!” Faragonda cheerfully announced, resting Bloom’s luggage in her new room. She wiped some imaginary sweat off her head before adding, “That was quite the workout.”

Bloom looked around her room in awe. Unlike Stella's room, Bloom's had two unprepared twin beds, two closets, two dressers, and two desks; one on the left and the other on the right. The walls were a simple beige and many shelves adorned the room.

"I get this room to myself?"

"Well, you get one side,” Faragonda said, motioning her arm to one side of her room. “Make sure to leave space for your roommate.”

"I don’t think I have enough to fill up half of this place,” Bloom joked, looking at the second bed. “My roommate’s not coming until tomorrow?"

“Yes, most will be arriving then since classes start next week.”

“Cool.” Bloom shuffled her feet nervously. “By the way Faragonda you seriously think I belong here? My powers still haven’t come back yet.”

“Bloom,” Faragonda said with a sigh. “I’ve been through exactly what you’ve been through and it wasn’t easy, that much is true, but you do have powers. I can feel it in you, you just need to practice and believe in yourself. I know it’s cheesy, but it's also true.” Faragonda patted the girl on the back. “I do have to say though, fire?”

“Yup, fire from my hands,” Bloom admitted, staring at her hands for a second. “It didn’t hurt but felt… tingly.”

“That’s… fascinating,” Faragonda stared at the teenager for a few seconds, making her uncomfortable. She felt like the woman was studying her.

“Everything okay?” Bloom questioned.

“Yes, dear, just got lost in thought,” Faragonda said with a gentle smile. “Oh, also there’s a mandatory assembly meeting early in the morning for staff introduction to new and returning students. Aside from that, the rest of your time will be free for you to do whatever you want until classes start next week… within reason of course.”

“Of course,” Stella said sliding into the front entrance of the doorway. Faragonda and Bloom stared at each other trying to decide whether Stella had been eavesdropping the entire time or just appeared out of nowhere. “Faragonda, you know I love you, but can’t you let Bloom and I go to one or two clubs, she has to get to know this place better.”

“I don’t agree with that,” Bloom interjected.

“Miss Davenwood, you know we have to enforce this rule especially since you started attending here,” Faragonda sternly said. “You go to Alfea for an education, not clubbing... although we can have fun here, Bloom.”

The redhead shrugged in response. Having fun at school wasn’t currently something she had stuck in her mind.

“But-” Stella started, before being cut off by Faragonda grabbing both her hands.

“And I know you’ll be glad to show Miss Mason around the school tomorrow morning so she’ll know about all the fun she can have right here on campus.”

Stella’s eyes shifted towards Bloom who waved at her with a mischievous smile. The blonde crossed her arms. “Fine, whatever.”

The elderly woman shook her head. “I’ll be off. Have a wonderful evening, Bloom, and again welcome to Alfea.” With that, Faragonda waved to the two girls and left the apartment, leaving Stella and Bloom in the room. Bloom smiled at how earnestly kind the headmistress was so far, she hadn’t seen that a lot at her old school.

“Can you believe that?” Stella said, walking closer to the redhead. “It’s like they don’t want us to have any fun.”

“I just think she doesn’t want you to repeat a third time.”

Stella smirked. “Don’t worry though, I’ll sneak us off to this little club called Strawberry Fields that is such a euphoric experience.”

“No, thank you,” Bloom said, pushing the blonde out of her new room. “I’m perfectly fine staying in my dorm all day.”

“You’re such a stick in the mud, no worries though. I’ll work that out of you,” Stella said confidently. “Oh, in fact, I have fabulous dresses perfect for partying. I must show them to you. Stay right where you are, we’ll have a little party here.” Stella ran off to get her dresses.

Bloom groaned but smiled in exasperation. She looked around her new room then plopped down on her new bed on the left side of the room. Kiko strode in and once he noticed the redhead he eagerly jumped onto her lap, trilling. She sighed, stroking the cat’s head. “This’ll be our new home for a while, little guy.”

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End of Part 2
> 
> I know, this probably wasn't a titillating read, but didn't you learn something? And OMD, Bloom is now an Alfea student and rooming with her new bestie from another mestie, Stella! This is a great start! Lol anyways, chapter 3 will be posted tomorrow around the afternoon EST. You'll be getting a little more action there.
> 
> I do hope y'all enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you so much for all the hits, kudos and bookmarks. You guys rock!


	5. Chapter 3: Magix Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next day arrives, Bloom and Stella are introduced to their new apartment mates, Musa, Tecna, and Flora. The girls then go for a day out in Magix City, but along the day of fun comes danger and the meeting of three witches after Stella's ring. Will Bloom and the girls make it out without getting hurt? Check it out here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back, everybody! It's so great to see you again! Did you enjoy chapter 2? I sure hope you did because it was fun writing it and now onto the action-packed chapter 3 where untitled Winx Club meet the Trix. 
> 
> I really hope y'all love this chapter 2 or at least like it because as usual, it was fun writing it.

Chapter 3: Magix! Part 1

The next morning, Alfea was buzzing with the sounds of new and returning students checking in and heading to the amphitheater for the assembly meeting that was starting in a few minutes. Stella and Bloom found that no new roommates had arrived during their slumber and got ready for the day. With the free time they had, Bloom and Stella walked down the long halls as the princess gave Bloom a quick tour around the school.

Stella pointed to a glass door with comfy-looking chairs and tables being viewable through the glass. "There's the Crescendo Café, where you can enjoy a nice cup of tea while listening to music or you can play something yourself for the patrons. Lots of girls love hanging out here."

Bloom gasped. "You have your own cafe?" She fondly remembered the music bar back home. 

"Eh, it’s all right," Stella shrugged somewhat uninterested. They turned a corner and came across double doors on the left side of the hall. "That over there is the library. I don't use it that much, but it's basically like every library: It’s full of books and used for studying and homework. Boring stuff really."

"Uh-huh," Bloom said, scratching her head. "It might take some time before I fully remember where everything is.”

“I know, but trust me, you’ll get used to the topsy turvy layout,” Stella reassured, turning a corner with Bloom following behind. “ All new faces get lost around here, even me. This place is basically a bleeding maze.” 

Bloom sighed as she scratched her head. She still wasn’t used to being a fairy, and now here she was, going to a huge fairy school with over a dozen rooms to explore on the first floor _alone_. She had to keep reminding herself this wasn’t a dream. 

Stella nudged her back to reality as they kept walking. Bloom paused as she noticed that she would have walked face-first into a pole if Stella hadn’t stopped her. 

“I know you have a lot on your mind, darling, but relax, you’re going to be fine,” Stella reassured.

Bloom sighed. Her shoulders slumping. “I hope so.” 

“If it makes you feel any better, I love your outfit,” Stella complimented. “I adore the crop top.”

“Oh… uh, thanks,” Bloom said rubbing her arm awkwardly. She stared at her outfit, unsure of what the big deal was. The crop top was black with yellow sleeves. Despite this, you could still see her shoulders, as the sleeves had been cut to show them. A small, black choker with a blue heart hung around her neck, along with a longer necklace with blue jewels. There were multiple hoop earrings in her ears. Her flared blue jeans slightly sagged from her hips, covering part of her black sneakers. “You don’t look too bad yourself.”

“Why thank you!” Stella said, spinning on her heel and showing off her light green halter top, orange skirt, and matching orange wedge heels. She started waltzing around the hallway so Bloom could get a better picture of her outfit, but the spectacle only made the redhead laugh. 

Bloom still wasn’t sure whether she wanted to befriend the princess given her fickle temper, but the girl was interesting to talk to. So, she was, at least, reassured she wouldn’t dislike her as a roommate. 

“You’re already becoming a great bestie,” Stella said, wrapping her arms around the girl’s waist.

Bloom playfully pushed the blonde away, though the gesture was not unkind. “We’re not besties, but I do tolerate you.”

Stella laughed with a wink. “And I, you. Now come along, let’s hurry to this boring meeting before we’re late. Although I don’t mind being late. I really don’t want to go to this drab meeting.”

Bloom shrugged. “It’s just a quick meeting,” she said, following closely behind Stella, who seemed to know her way around the halls of the large school. “It’s probably important.”

“Yes, for you newbies, but not upperclassmen such as myself. We’ve already done this song and dance.”

“Not that I want to play devil’s advocate, but maybe they want to introduce new teachers and rules,” Bloom reasoned. “Like...don’t blow up a potions lab… or create a new shade of pink!”

Bloom immediately burst into fits of laughter as she was reminded of what Stella had told her yesterday. She never got the full details of it, but just the fact she attempted to create a new shade of pink without any training, supervision, or just another student to help her sent the redhead into another round of hysterics. 

Stella froze, then turned to Bloom, her face beet red in anger. She stomped over to the redhead who tried and failed to hide her laughter. “I told you to keep that to yourself!” she angrily whispered, checking over her shoulder if anyone was around to hear them. “It was a complete accident that I don’t need to be reminded of.”

“Okay,” Bloom said, restraining herself. “I promise I won’t laugh about it anymore.”

Bloom crossed her fingers behind her back as she kept laughing in her head. Stella couldn’t read her thoughts after all.

“Right well-,” Stella was interrupted by a loud siren like-bell going off and echoing down the halls. 

Bloom covered her ears as the ringing from yesterday’s travel started up again thanks to the bell. “Why?!”

“That’s the bell, get used to it. It’s how they alert us about class changes, meetings like this, and drills… so many freaking drills.” Stella said, speeding up her pace. “What that means right now is we have two minutes before they open the doors to the auditorium.”

“Thanks for the heads up,” Bloom said, following close behind. 

“Anyways, you might be right,” Stella said, going back to their previous conversation about the meeting. “Other students - students who aren’t me, of course - need to be reminded about rules and whatnot. Maybe we’ll get some exciting news. A cooler teacher this year would be nice, to start.”

“Not exactly what I meant, but that’s the spirit,” Bloom replied.

The two girls picked up the pace as they got closer to the meeting entrance. When the two finally entered the main hall where the auditorium entrance was, a large crowd of female students eagerly waited for the wooden auditorium doors to open. Bloom noticed all the different looking students gathered together, clad in exotic clothes and accessories. She could hardly keep track of it all. Some girls were interacting with others while some stood by themselves, something she could sympathize with.

Bloom noticed a few eyes on her from a couple of girls around her but chose to ignore them. Stella seemed to take notice as well as she immediately looped her arm around Bloom’s and pulled her closer to her hip. The redhead felt kind of annoyed but played along.

“There are so many girls here,” Bloom noticed, looking over the crowd. “This feels so weird.”

Stella giggled as they casually walked around the room. “I understand. I felt the same way when I first started here, but it’s totally ace - we’re going to one of the best fairy schools in the galaxy. Isn’t it ace?”

Stella’s golden eyes seemed to twinkle as she stared deep into Bloom’s. 

Bloom shifted. “Uh… very ace.”

The blonde sighed happily. “I’m just so excited to be back here, honestly. Girls training to become powerful fairies at one of the best universities in the realm. The best part is, everyone here is kind and cheerful, so there's no need to worry about any annoying twats. You'll love it here, darling." No sooner had Stella said that when a girl bumped into her causing both girls to glare at each other.

“Watch where you’re going,” the girl with light brown hair snapped, with a thick valley girl-like accent.

“ _You_ bumped into _me;_ if anything, you owe _me_ an apology!” Stella huffed. The girl simply smacked her lips in response. “Are you daft? Treating the princess of Solaria like this is an insult to the Queen!”

“Princess? Sure, and I’m the queen of Zenith,” the girl scoffed with a smirk. “Regardless, I’m not from Solaria and you bumped into me so… screw you.” The girl turned on her heel and sashayed away.

Stella stood there speechless beside Bloom, who had been silently watching the scene. She patted Stella on the arm before saying, "So, was that the kind side or the cheerful one?"

Stella refused to answer and simply recomposed herself.

A bell went off a second later, sending another ringing shooting through Bloom’s ears. The doors to the auditorium opened and students flooded in to take their seats. Most of the first years sat upfront, while the older students sat in the back. Stella led the redhead to two seats in the back, not wanting her to be stuck sitting by herself in the front row. Once everyone was seated, Faragonda, Griselda, and a group of people walked across the overhead balcony a moment later. Bloom surmised the others were also faculty members.

Griselda approached the podium and spoke into the microphone. "Students, quiet down. today’s meeting has started. Quiet down, please."

The students continued talking. She groaned, turning towards Faragonda. The white-haired woman gave her a thumb up for encouragement. Griselda reluctantly went back to the noisy audience.

"I'd like to start so we can leave quickly," Griselda said, aggravated. The brunette calmly cleared her throat as she adjusted the microphone, before she roared, “WOULD YOU ALL SHUT YOUR FILTHY MOUTHS!”

The booming voice of the deputy headmistress echoed through the amphitheater immediately silenced everyone talking. “Thank you.” 

A second time, Griselda cleared her throat then tapped on the microphone a few times before talking. "Students, let me start by going over the rules you are to follow. The first rule: You must follow all the rules in the code of behavior! I will not repeat myself on this. This school requires discipline and obedience, which means no use of illegal drugs, no drinking alcoholic beverages, no loud music, no selling makeup or graphic items, at all! I don’t want to see one Glossy Musings mascara on the premises! No being out past curfew, no arriving after curfew, no skipping classes, no dangerous weapons on the premises unless it is an absolute emergency, no thefts, no mistreatment of other students, no fights with other students and absolutely do not go to any clubs, nightclubs, lounges, host clubs, or bars! I don’t care what it’s called, do not go there!” Bloom shook her head, laughing while everyone else remained cautiously silent. Stella clapped a hand over her friend’s mouth to silence her so Griselda wouldn’t notice. “If you break any of these rules once, you will receive ten demerits; a second time, twenty; a third time, your magic privileges are suspended for a week. If you _still_ continue to repeat this behavior, you face the risk of being expelled.

The assistant headmistress paused to catch her breath. "Last rule, to make sure you ignorant children understand this - and I cannot stress this enough: Do not, under any circumstances, use unauthorized magic at any time! The only place where you can display your magic is in a classroom with a faculty member present. There's a certain princess here who can vouch for that."

Bloom giggled. "You are never going to live that down, are you?"

Stella rolled her eyes while checking her nails.

Griselda cleared her throat. “This will be your second home for the next five years, but do not take that for granted or I will personally lead you to the front gate.” The brunette adjusted her glasses and after a second her face seemed to light up happily as she held out her hands in a dramatic fashion. “Now, without further ado, welcome your highly esteemed Headmistress of Alfea, Headmistress Faragonda!”

As Faragonda approached the podium, a few claps and cheers were heard for the woman. Faragonda fixed her glasses before talking into the microphone. "After Griselda, I don't know if I'll be able to give a better speech. You sure know how to put fear into the new students, don't you, Jeanie?” she jested, turning towards her. Griselda just huffed, annoyed. “I hope she didn't frighten you too much.”

Stray chuckles erupted from the audience as they began to feel a bit more at ease. 

"What she forgot to say is, welcome to Alfea, the best fairy school in Magix! It's also the _only_ one, so we've got that going for us!" The headmistress giggled. "I'm Ms. Dorothea Faragonda, your headmistress. I'm an Alfea alumna and former fairy godmother, and I can tell this year will be a splendid one. Some of you will battle evil, others will grant wishes, and many are princesses that will rule over your respective planets someday. Each of you is unique, you all have different sources of power and diverse origins, but our mission is the same…"

"…to help each of you be the very best you can be!" Faragonda and Stella said at the same time. 

"She really loves saying that," Stella added, resting her head on Bloom's shoulder.

"Former godmother?" Bloom whispered, shaking her head. “Cinderella was real. I knew it!”

Stella chuckled.

"I don't want to carry on too long, so allow me to introduce you all to our staff. You've already met me and this is my Deputy Headmistress, teacher of combat magic and authority of disciplinary punishment, Jeanie Griselda." Faragonda motioned her hands towards the deputy who stood and waved while being met with very little applause. "Next is Professor Maize Wizgiz, our teacher for transformation."

A man of short stature, sprouting an orange beard with matching orange hair and pointy ears stepped forward. He enthusiastically waved to the students.

"Quick question, Stella," Bloom whispered to the blonde who had her eyes closed. "Am I looking at a leprechaun right now?”

“If it's Wizgiz then yes,” Stella replied. “He's funny, you’ll have a great time with him.”

Bloom blinked while trying to remember his name while at the same time, mystified that leprechauns also exist! While she kept mulling this over, the next teacher was introduced.

"Calypso Palladium, teaching alchemy, and magical theory."

A very slim and tan-skinned man with neck-length brown hair stepped forward. He had matching pointy ears like Wizgiz but was much taller with smaller ears. His clothes were muted browns. He waved, looking somewhat flustered.

“Oh and elves are here too,” Bloom thought in her head. “What’s next, a dragon?”

Much to her disappointment, the next teacher wasn’t a dragon, but a woman with long silver-gray hair, wire-rimmed glasses, wearing a deep scarlet suit and matching hat. Bloom watched as she stepped forward. Her name was Professor Rosemund DuFour.

She smiled warmly at the students. Faragonda continued with the ten teachers, each one having a different look to them like many of the students at Alfea, such as Zelda Sparkle, Robbie Islebloom, Aeden Limegrass, Ella Forest, Ebony, Rosefluff, etc. 

"These inspiring and genius teachers will be helping you in many subjects this semester,” Faragonda said after introducing the main staff. “Our other staff consists of the librarian Persephone Barbatera and the school nurse Willow Ophelia."

A thin lady with big, round glasses and large puffy dark magenta hair, with a matching blue skirt and blouse, stepped forward, flanked by a taller woman who had a well-defined jaw and orange-brown hair. They both curtsied.

"And finally, our wonderful school chef, Cruz Sfoglia."

A short man with unruly black hair and a thick mustache came forth last with a serious look on his face before quickly bowing to the students.

"All right, now that you've gotten to know all the teachers, it's time to dismiss you, but before I do that, I'd like to remind you that every faculty member will always be here to help you. Feel free to explore your surroundings, but be very careful. There are many dangers lurking around."

"'And be wary of the Witches of Cloud Tower’. Just wait for her to say that," Stella said.

"And make sure to be wary of the witches of Cloud Tower," Faragonda echoed. 

“Witches suck!” A girl yelled from the audience gaining a few cheers from the girls around her. Bloom shook her head and Faragonda seemed to agree as she stared sternly at the girl for a long second, making her shrink back.

"Be wary, not rude. Let's make this a joyous year! Use every opportunity to connect to your spark and have a wonderful day and semester!" Faragonda lifted her right hand and launched the room with firework-like sparkles, causing the students to stare, awestruck.

Bloom rubbed her eyes in shock. Faragonda just made fireworks _with her hands_ , she thought.

"Alright, the light show’s over! Everyone is dismissed for the rest of the day. Be prepared for classes at eight in the morning!" Griselda finished, causing the flock of noisy students to immediately disperse.

"Oh, it's finally over with." Stella yawned, lifting her head off the girl's shoulder. "I told you this meeting was pointless.”

"Um… did Faragonda shoot fireworks through her hands last year?" Bloom asked standing up with Stella.

"Nah," the blonde replied. "Last year, there was a barrage of sparkles that got stuck in your hair if you sat up front."

"Oh, of course… guess she likes to change it up every year," Bloom said, continuing to stare at the front stage. Fragonda turned to her direction and even though they were far away, the old woman waved at her. Bloom waved back with a smile. “They seemed to have prepared us for all kinds of junk instead of just being a fairy.” the redhead stood up. "I guess you're here to prepare to be a Queen or something?"

"You bet. I'm going to rule the Kingdom of Solaria soon, but I do hope to learn some fighting skills along the way," Stella admitted. "I don't want to be some defenseless princess all my life like my mum and her mum and my dad's mum, which is why I must learn to fight to protect not only myself but also my kingdom."

"That's pretty admirable." Bloom complimented, causing the blonde to beam. "So, what do you want to do now?"

"Well, it’s too early to go clubbing, which isn't freaking allowed," Stella looped her arm around the redhead's and led her through the throng of students. "Let's go see our new flatmates!"

***

When the two girls arrived back at their apartment, the door was already open, and sounds were coming from both of the formally unused rooms at the end of the left side and the one Bloom's staying in.

"Wow, they're already here," Bloom said, listening to the muffled voices when a loud squeal came from the leftmost room. "Somebody's already excited, too."

"I just hope our mates are more fashionable and livelier than those boring tossers I had to deal with last year," Stella said. 

"I kind of agree with that, princess," Bloom said, “but I’m mostly worried about Kiko. He usually gets nervous with a bunch of strangers around.”

“That little kitty is probably sleeping through all this noise,” Stella nudged the girl. “That’s what those little buggers do all day, right?”

Bloom rolled her eyes. “You know - ” she started before being interrupted by a shriek in their dorm. Kiko raced out of the room and jumped into Bloom’s arms, shivering frantically. 

“Come back soon!” a voice from the room shouted back.

"Hm, seems like he's already met one of our new flatmates," Stella said before heading to her room. “Good luck with that.”

Stella walked over to her room. Bloom sighed before checking Kiko, who was still visibly frightened. 

"Aww, are you okay, little guy? What did you do in there?" Bloom cooed, scratching the kitten's neck to calm him down. "Let's go see this new roommate together. I bet she isn't that bad."

The redhead reluctantly went to her new room, cradling the large cat. Her shoe crunched atop something unfamiliar and she froze. "What the-"

"Hey, watch where you're stepping," a high-pitched voice said. When Bloom looked up, her eyes widened, realizing it hadn’t come from a person, but a Venus flytrap with large eyes and jagged teeth. "My vines are very sensitive."

Bloom gulped. “Di- Did you just talk?”

“Well duh, of course, he talks. He’s one of my creations, after all,” Bloom heard another voice say from behind her. She slowly turned around, fearing what might be there, but only found a skinny girl with tan skin and long honey brown hair with blonde bangs at her sides. Her jade eyes sagged, bags around both eyes like she hadn’t slept a wink in the past year or so. She had a small smile across her face as she stared dazingly at the redhead. “Have you never seen a talking Venus flytrap before?”

“Um, not really… you have?” Bloom questioned trying to avoid eye contact with the moving flytrap.

“Hm, about five this year,” the girl said, sounding unsure. “Someone who hasn’t seen a talking plant… weird. Well, you should probably watch where you’re going in those sweet sneakers. Are those vegan or recyclable?”

“Uh… I’m not sure. I got them from a thrift shop,” Bloom said, taking a few steps backwards as the girl stared at her up and down.

“Cool, you’re a vintage girl,” the brunette nodded. “I like that.”

“Th-Thanks,” Bloom mumbled. She couldn't stop herself from staring at the girl’s strange outfit. She was wearing a green off the shoulder midriff with puffy sleeves and a fuchsia-colored, strawberry-print wrap short skirt and a pair of pink wedges. She also couldn’t ignore the way the girl spoke; it was slow and had the typical Californian accent she had heard before, but this girl clearly wasn’t from Earth. Her silence seemed to bother the girl as she waved her hand across Bloom's face.

The brunette snapped her long, bony fingers. "Hello, are you there?"

"Uh, yeah, I was thinking about something else,” Bloom said, blushing. “What did you say?"

“I was asking you, is that big fluffy cat yours or did you bring in a stray?” the girl asked. “He’s, like, totally adorable and precious. I tried to brush his fur, but I think I startled the poor thing.” the brunette held her hand out for Kiko to sniff it, but the orange Maine coon simply hissed at her, snuggling closer to Bloom’s chest. “I’m okay with him not being yours, but I would check with Faragonda.”

“Yeah, he’s mine,” Bloom said, tightening her grip around Kiko causing him to trill in protest. “And he’s allowed to be here.”

“Wow, really, sweet,” the strange girl paused. “Well, I do have to apologize, my plants mistook him for a toy and tried playing with him.”

“They what?!” Bloom exclaimed. She turned towards the alive plants and glared at them angrily. Most seemed to be scared by her reaction, but after a moment Bloom came to a realization. “I’m glaring at flowers.”

The brunette giggled. “You’re funny. Hey, what’s your name?”

“I’m Bloom Mason, and this is my cat, Kiko. It’s… nice to meet you.”

“Oh, you’re my new roommate, sweet,” the brunette said, nodding slowly. The brunette limply took Bloom’s hand and shook it, making her slightly uncomfortable with how long the handshake felt. Her hands were so long, cold, and bony. "I'm Flora Rosa from Linphea. I'm training to be a nature fairy. It’s great to meet you.”

“Right...” Bloom said, taking a few steps away from the girl. 

“Now, Blossom,” Flora started. “I saw you had already brought your stuff before I arrived. But that didn’t vibe with my energy, so I took the courtesy to move your junk to the right side of the room."

 _How is that common courtesy to me?_ Bloom thought. “That’s funny, I could’ve sworn I put my stuff on the left side.”

“Yeah, I know, and again, so sorry, but here’s the deal, Blossom,” Flora reasoned, causing Bloom to cringe with the second mispronunciation of her name. “My aura and body must be aligned to the left. Like at all times, the center of my universe is even aligned to the left. It’s like what warms my soul and keeps things in check.”

“Isn’t the point of alignment that you’re CENTERED?” Bloom asked, incredibly confused.

“Alignment doesn’t have to be literal, silly,” Flora giggled.

“Oh, right, I’m the dumb one, my bad,” Bloom said, trying not to let the sarcasm drip off her tone. 

“It’s alright Blossom, we can’t all achieve enlightenment,” Flora said, patting the redhead on the shoulder. 

“It’s Bloom, and my head hurts,” Bloom said, mulling over what was presently happening. “Anything else?”

“I’m glad you asked. I have a few ground rules. I don't lend people things, so I'd very much appreciate it if you didn't touch anything, and I’ll keep my hands off of your junk accordingly. Now, the do not touch rule goes with my second rule. You see these plants here," the brunette’s arm swept over her wide selection of potted plants. "These are mine and I take good care of them, so do not harm them in any way. They are super important to me and my studies. I mostly use them for making potions, medicines, or cosmetics. I care for them like they're my babies and I expect the same respect from you if you don’t mind."

"All of those plants are yours?" Bloom worriedly questioned, taking a few steps away from the tangle of talking plants and vines. "And are they all staying here?"

"You bet," Flora replied. "I grew them myself. They were a murder to bring here, but it was literally worth it. Just don't bother them and we won't have a problem. M'kay?"

This was the weirdest conversation she’d ever had, and that was saying _a lot_. Even Mitzi hadn’t been this strange.

"Odd… but sure, whatever," she agreed, realizing that being diplomatic was the best way to go. 

“I just adore flora and vegetation,” Flora giggled, but Bloom wasn’t sure at what. “Like for instance that spiky one over there is a _Dahlia crenata._ if you prick your finger on the tip of the spike, it’ll make you violently ill. I’m talking vomit everywhere in an instant. Isn’t that fascinating?”

Bloom looked down at Kiko, who seemed to share the same bewildered look she had about a poisonous plant being in their new room. “Yeah… poisonous plants that possibly kill me are great. You know what I have to go somewhere else because… I just have to go.”

“Hurry back, Blossom.”

 _I gotta get out of here before she starts analyzing my chakras,’_ Bloom thought, quickly racing out the room. As she left, she bumped into another unseen body and closed her eyes dreading she might’ve bumped into another plant.

“Oh, God, please don’t prick me with your spikes!” Bloom exclaimed, squeezing her eyes shut.

“Spikes?” another high pitched voice said, this one sounding much more normal. Bloom slowly opened her eyes and was met with two girls standing in front of her, each with a vaguely concerned expression on their face.

The first girl was towering in height and had short magenta hair styled into a pixie cut. She was wearing a purple, white, and green striped tracksuit and matching sneakers.

The other was a pale, petite girl with blue hair separated into two short pigtails. She had cute, round wire-rimmed glasses perched on her nose. She was wearing a red one-shoulder top, a pair of blue baggy jeans filled with pockets, and a pair of reddish-purple sneakers. She had features that Bloom could only describe as Japanese, but this girl had probably never stepped foot in any part of Asia. Her eyes shifted towards the magenta hair girl concerned. 

“I’d wear them but I’d probably poke myself all day,” the blue-haired girl giggled.

“Spikes are pretty impractical if I do say so myself, so I’m glad we didn’t prick ya,” the magenta hair girl said with a dry thick southern accent. 

Bloom's mouth dropped at hearing the magenta-haired girl speaking in a strong southern drawl. First the princess’s British accent and now this. She had to shake her head twice. 

“This is kind of the part where you introduce yourself and your feline,” the magenta hair girl said, after a few seconds of awkward silence.

“Oh, right, yeah …sorry, just got caught off guard by… your… voice…” Bloom bit her bottom lip. “Anyways, I’m Bloom Mason, this is my cat Kiko and if you haven’t realized it already, I’m very new here.”

“Why that ain’t a problem at all,” the girl said. “We’re all new here; sho't stack and I haven’t even been to Magix before.”

Short stack nodded with a wide grin. 

“Y'all can call me Tecna, Tecna McCormick,” Tecna introduced, slapping her hand against the redheads. “It’s a wild pleasure to meetcha.”

“You… too,” Bloom said, struggling to match grip with Tecna’s rough hand. While they shook, the redhead noticed a long scar wrapping around the girl's left forearm. She attempted to avoid staring at it, but the magenta haired girl saw her eyes looking at it.

"I see yo' spotted my mark," Tecna said, rubbing the scar.

Bloom quickly turned a shade of pink. "S-sorry," she stammered. "I didn't mean to stare."

"Aw shucks, it's okay, girl. This here is a friendly reminder of mah first battle," Tecna replied, slapping the girl on the back. "An' this ain't nothin' compared to what that lil varmint got after I was through with ‘er. "

“Cool,” Bloom said, amazed. Her eyes shifted to the blue-haired girl who had just been standing there silently. Awkwardly, Bloom smiled in her direction, feeling a twinge of guilt at not having noticed her sooner. “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”

The girl took a deep breath as her eyes widened in a mixture of excitement and joy. “Hi I’m Musa Tori, but my friends call me Musa and since we met you’re my new friend so call me Musa!”

“Nice to meet you, Musa...” Bloom said as she grabbed the girl’s hand. With the amount of force Musa shook it with, Bloom felt like her arm might come off. Geez, this girl could shake hard! What was with all the forceful handshakes today?

“You are _so_ pretty, has anyone ever told you how pretty you are? And I love your outfit, so fashionable, you really rock the collar, and OMD I love your fluffy big cat, he’s like a little baby tiger. He’s so adorable. OMD, it’s so nice to meet another new roommate!”

Bloom and Kiko each felt their bones rattle as Musa continued shaking the redhead’s hand. “Th- thank you, could you let go? I kinda feel like my arm is about to fall out of its socket.” 

“Sorry!” Musa quickly let go of Bloom’s hand. “Might have gotten a bit carried away. I’m just really excited to meet everyone!”

“Yeah, I can see,” Bloom said, rubbing her arm. “Nice to meet you too.”

“She did the same thing with me,” Tecna said sympathetically. “I’m surprised she matched my grip.”

“Aww, thanks!” Musa exclaimed. “Oh and this is my new best friend, Tecna!”

“We already did introductions, sho't stack,” Tecna said, elbowing the girl playfully. “And friends? You ain’t even taken me out to dinner yet.”

“I can! What do you like?!” Musa questioned, placing a small smile on Tecna’s face.

“Oh, Blossom, another thing,” Flora said, walking out the room with a watering can. “I work on a strict vegan diet, so try to abstain from eating meat near me, just for the first few days.”

“Yeah, I’m not doing that,” Bloom shook her head. “This is my new roommate, Flora. She still can’t get my name right. It’s Bloom.”

Flora waved away that complaint with a giggle. “Names aren’t an important necessity in life.”

“What?” Tecna questioned.

“She’s been like that for the last five minutes,” Bloom mumbled.

“What is with all the noise out here?” Stella said, sashaying out into the room. “Oh my, new roommates. I didn’t expect any guests today.”

“You came here with me,” Bloom pointed out. She had seen Stella poking her head from her room a second ago and it was pretty obvious she had been listening in on the conversation the whole time.

“Oh Bloom... shush,” Stella said, walking over to the group. “Why, hello everyone, I’m Princess Stella Davenwood, you may have heard of me. Crowned princess and future queen of Solaria, the best planet in the Magix realm and your new roommate. Now you don’t have to praise me or treat me any differently for being a princess. I’m just one of you, except I’m a noble princess to the fabulous Davenwood royalty.”

“I’m sorry, what were you again?” Bloom joked, pretending to scratch her head.

“I think she said she was a waitress or somethin’?” Tecna added in mock-confusion. 

Stella crossed her arms and glared at the two, unimpressed.

Musa gasped. “Oh I know all about you, you’re just as pretty as you are in the pictures!” 

Stella blushed. “Do go on.”

“You also blew up a potions lab last year that got you expelled, but then I heard your father donated a computer lab so they let you back in,” Musa added innocently. 

Stella’s face turned a bright shade of pink as all eyes were on her and not in the flattering way that she hoped. She _had_ told her to go on, after all, so there was nothing she could say in her defense. 

“Funny. You left out the part about the computer lab when you were telling me this,” Bloom said, stroking Kiko’s head with a mischievous smile.

“Enough about information none of you should know about.” Stella shot Musa a glare, but the blue-haired girl seemed unaware of her mistake. “Where are you gals from?”

“Titania. Good ol’ Titania. My home, my lan', that's why I got such a thick drawl. I know, going for th' stereotype ain't I?" Tecna chuckled while brushing back her short hair. "Y'all best get used to it, though."

“Linphea,” Flora piped up. “It’s a nature planet and it’s truly beautiful.”

“I am from Melody and it is the most awesome thing to meet a real-life princess! Awesome or terrific… awesomerific! Yup, definitely awesomerific!" Musa effused, bouncing on her toes. Stella beamed from the compliment, causing Bloom to roll her eyes. "I'm just so glad to be here at Alfea, the best school in the entire realm. I never imagined I'd be stepping foot in this place, let alone enrolling as a student. And now here I am! This is the best!"

“Okay Musa, Musa, _Musa_! You’re at a twenty right now,” Bloom said, trying to match Musa’s perk before switching back to her snark. “I need you at an eight.”

“I wish I could, but I’m perpetually stuck on one setting. At least that’s what my papa tells me,” Musa giggled. “Where are you from, Bloom?”

“Uh…” Bloom trailed off unsure of how to answer the question after the terrified reactions from Faragonda and Griselda yesterday. Her eyes shifted towards Stella as a cry for help.

Stella smiled reassuringly as she moved to distract the curious crowd. “Sorry to cut you off darling, but I have an announcement to make. Musa, Tecna, Flora, Bloom with introductions out the way, would you darling gals like to accompany me to dinner tonight? My treat.”

“I knew you were eavesdropping,” Bloom said as she realized the girl had known all their names without ever actually getting them. Stella simply shrugged with a sly smile.

Musa on the other hand gasped with excitement. “ _Get out_! A princess treating us to dinner!”

“You’d really do that for us common folk?” Tecna asked.

Stella nodded. “It’s the least I can do. So be ready at five and wear your very best. I’m going to take you somewhere fantastic tonight!”

“Wow, that’s totally sweet,” Flora said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Yeah, I really appreciate that princess,” Bloom said with a wink. Silently thanking her new friend for covering for her.

“Hey, it’s the least I can do.” Stella shrugged. “Now if you all will excuse me, I have to finish the latest touches to my halter top and matching skirt. Ta-ta, ladies.”

The blonde sashayed back to her room leaving the four girls to themselves.

“And I’ll meet up with y’all later, currently I gotta get th’ rest of my room organized before the next thirty minutes pass,” Tecna said, walking away from the remaining girls to her room.

Musa gasped, remembering something. "Oh, I've got to finish up too. Gotta make sure all my books, LPs and EPs are in alphabetical order. See ya later, new buddies," she chirped, skipping back into the same direction of her room. 

“All right, just us now,” Flora said, adding more weight to an already awkward room. “Come on, Blossom, I’m going to introduce you to every flora to get you better acquainted. It’ll totally ease the tension.”

“Right, I’ll be in there in a second, just need a moment alone,” Bloom excused herself.

“Hey, of course, I’ll be waiting in our room when you’re ready,” Flora nudged the redhead, then casually walked away, humming absently to herself.

Alone with her cat, Bloom brought Kiko close to her face as she said, “Well, little guy, those are our new roommates… what do you think?”

Kiko let out a soft meow before placing his paw on Bloom’s nose as a sign to reassure her. 

Bloom giggled. “I think so too.”

“Blossom, my friends are waiting,” Flora called.

Bloom groaned. “It’s Bloom!”

*** 

A few hours later, Bloom was sitting on a bench in the courtyard, by herself, sketching the crystal fountain in front of her and listening to music. The glistening water from the three-tiered fountain streamed down like rain on a pond. The redhead made sure to capture the sparkling crystal and rippling water. Even though she was trying to keep the sun out of her eyes, sketching made her feel calm. 

While her hand curved on the next line, she felt a sharp tap on her shoulder, causing her hand to jerk while holding the pencil and leaving an unwanted mark on her sketch. “Damn it,” she muttered under her breath.

She angrily removed one of her earbuds as she turned towards the person behind her.

It was Musa, who looked surprised before waving nervously. “Hiya,” she greeted, looking sheepish. “Mind if I sit?”

“Well, you’ve already interrupted my drawing, so why not,” Bloom offered, erasing the mistake on her sketch. “What’s up?”

Musa swung her feet across the bench, narrowly missing Bloom’s head, slightly annoying her. She plopped into the empty spot eagerly. Once she heard the question, she placed a finger on her chin and stared up at the sky. “A lot, actually… some clouds...the sun, and-”

Bloom couldn’t help but laugh. “No, I mean to say, what have you been doing?”

“Oh, duh,” Musa giggled. “Nothing much, I just finished organizing my LPs. By the way, you’re really good at drawing.”

“Thanks,” Bloom said with a small smile. “It’s mostly just a hobby.”

“ _That’s_ a hobby for you?” Musa exclaimed. “It almost looks real, you could sell that and make tons of money.”

“Thanks, uh, Musa, was it?”

“Yup, to remember my name just think of music. Musa, music, Musa, music, Musa, music-” Musa repeated until Bloom covered her mouth.

“I got it,” the redhead replied, removing her hand. “Is there anything else you need?”

“Yeah. You ready?”

“Ready for what?” Bloom questioned, her eyes focused back on adding the next line to her fountain sketch. 

“Stella’s big dinner - remember, it’s at five,” Musa reminded her, tapping her wrist as if there was a watch there and wrinkling her nose. “I should really moisturize more.”

“Oh right, well, let’s get this over with,” Bloom said, rubbing her head. She was interested in the dinner Stella was offering to her and her new roommates, but mentally she wanted to draw and then rest; she still wasn’t used to everything around her on this new planet, but perhaps a night out in a new town would be fun too.

“I’ll walk with ya,” Musa said, hopping from her seat. “Come on, Picasso.”

Bloom shuffled her sketchbook and pencils in her hand while chuckling. “I just have to drop this stuff off in my room-”

Musa quickly snatched the items out of the surprised redhead’s hands and began whispering. Before Bloom could question what she was doing, in an instant her art supplies magically vanished into thin air. The redhead restrained her mouth from dropping open.

“How- how did you do that?” Bloom asked, shocked. “Did you send them to another dimension?”

Musa giggled. “If by “other dimension” you mean your bedroom, then yes. Yes, I did.”

Bloom stared at the girl confused, unsure of what to say, her earth behavior was showing. 

“It was just a simple teleportation spell I learned in grade school. It works on minimal items such as art supplies. But do not ask me to teleport your cat, the spell doesn’t work on living things… learned that the hard way.” Musa cocked her head. “I was just trying to save you the trouble, but...you haven’t learned that yet?”

“Uh…” Bloom trailed off once she realized what had happened. She still wasn't ready to tell anyone she was from Earth yet so she had to think of something fast. “Home school! I was, uh, homeschooled by my… mom and most of what she taught me was basic stuff. Teleportation just never came up.”

“Oh, okay, that makes sense,” Musa nodded. 

“It does?” Bloom questioned, eye-widening. “I mean, of course, it does, because it’s the truth! N- now let’s hurry to the girls before we’re late.”

Bloom speed walked away from the blue-haired girl, avoiding eye contact. Musa followed behind her, apparently satisfied with the answer she’d been given.

While the two girls walked across the cobblestone path of the courtyard towards the iron gates of the school where the bus stop was, they spotted Stella, Flora, and Tecna who were busy talking. Tecna and Musa were dressed in the same outfits they had on earlier, unlike Stella who had on a tight orange dress matching loafers and a large pair of multicolored sunglasses on.

“And then- why, hello, ladies,” Stella greeted Bloom and Musa while removing her shades. “Ah, yes, you’ve decided to dress in your casual attire as well. Am I the only one who dressed formally?”

“If you call what you’re wearing formal, then sure,” Bloom jested. “Do you have anything in neon pink?”

"Yeah, ain't you wearin' a hide tight mini dress," Tecna said, moving her hand up and down Stella's dress. "You don't have anythin' to say about my attire?"

“It’s gorgeous on you,” Stella replied, though her tone of voice suggested it was anything but. “Well, anyway, I’m glad you two made it; the bus will be here any second now.”

“There it is now,” Flora said, pointing down the road. 

“I love perfect timing,” Stella said with a smile. “This is going to be the most eventful night ever!”

“Right, right. Wait a minute, is that bus _floating_?” Bloom questioned, eyes wide. 

“Of course, why? Is it not supposed to?” Flora asked. “Did I miss something, did we remove buses and I was never told?”

“Don’t hurt yourself thinkin’ there, you’re right,” Tecna said. “Have you seriously never seen a bus before?”

“Not one that floats!” Bloom exclaimed.

That comment gained numerous confused stares from her roommates and some students who happened to hear her. Bloom could feel the blood rush to her cheeks as the bus came to a stop. 

Stella wasn’t fazed and simply stepped in front of Bloom, "This is not a spectacle, you can get on the damn bus now!" she insisted, waving her hand at them.

The other girls gave the princess an annoyed look, but turned away and boarded the bus.

"Some people can be so judgmental," Musa said, shaking her head. "It's alright if you haven't seen a bus, Bloom."

"I've seen a bus before!" Bloom defended still staying behind Stella. "I've just… never been on a floating one. Are those things safe?"

"Yeah, there's nothing to worry about, Bloom. Don't be scared. I’ve taken them all the time.” Musa grabbed the worried redhead by the hand and led her closer to the bus. "It's nice, isn't it? I like the colors."

Bloom nodded, her face pale. "I'm sorry, it's just… these usually have wheels where I'm from."

"Wheels? Wow, wheels ain't been used on a bus fo' the last eighty years on Titania alone and that’s the so-called hick side of th' planet," Tecna said, climbing aboard the bus.

“To be fair, it's not the weirdest thing about you,” Flora said boarding behind Tecna. 

Bloom groaned while being led onto the bus by Musa. 

"Ignore them," she said, patting the girl on the back. "Come on, it'll be a safe ride and you got me to keep you calm."

“Right,” Bloom replied. 

As Bloom dejectedly walked past the bus driver to search for an empty seat, the man stopped her, "Uh, excuse me, you forgot to pay."

"Oh… yeah…" Bloom said, feeling like a deer in headlights. "...How much?"

"Two dimars."

“Shi-oot, dimars, I totally know what those are!” Bloom said, trying to act knowledgeable after embarrassing herself twice already. “And you see, I-”

“Will be covered by her new best friend,” Stella said gracefully handing the bus driver a thick, gold-colored coin. “That should be the proper amount, good sir.”

"Fine with me," the driver shrugged, depositing the cash in a coin machine.

"Uh, thanks, Stella," Bloom said as the girls moved down to find seats before settling in the back of the bus. "I'll try to pay you back."

"For that much?" Stella said, shocked. "That wasn't even chunk change for me, love. There's no need to thank me; I was just helping you out."

Bloom sighed, taking a seat next to Stella. "Yeah, I forgot I'm pretty much broke here."

"Did you forget to go through the currency exchange?" Musa asked, with a smile on her face. "I almost did."

"So did I," Tecna chuckled, taking a seat next to the blue-haired girl. "My momma had to text me a reminder befo'e I even checked in."

"Um," Bloom paused for a moment, caught in the spotlight. "I can explain why later, but that's sort of what happened."

"You've never seen a floating vehicle and you forgot to do your currency exchange?" Flora said. "Where are you from?"

"I said I’ll tell you later," Bloom muttered, looking out the window. The bus jolted forward as it began floating down the cobblestone road. The redhead gulped nervously as she watched the trees pass by. "So, how long is this bus ride?"

“Just fifteen minutes,” Stella replied, patting Bloom on the hand. 

The five girls sat in silence for a while as the bus slowly floated down the forest road. Bloom noticed the ride was much smoother than any car or bus she had taken back home. Still made her uncomfortable being on a floating bus, but as she kept staring at the trees her nerves started to calm.

“So…” Stella started, fiddling with her fingers. “Any of you gals figure out your Spark yet? Mine is light, obviously.”

“Planet life… or, as it’s called, nature manipulation,” Flora answered next. “I can talk to plants, nurture them, control them, and fight with them. Simple stuff, really."

“Sono-kinesis. It basically means I can control sound waves, music, and sonic pressure,” said Musa. “It’s pretty neat, and I can play almost any instrument in a flash.”

“Fire… I think,” Bloom answered carefully, and the others seemed satisfied with this response.

“My powers are technology and electricity manipulation,” Tecna said next. “It comes in handy, especially when repairin' a truck, buildin' small machines, or givin' my siblin's a li'l electric sting. I don't want to keep usin' it for such simple things, which is why I'm going to Alfea."

"Wait… yours is technology?" Stella said with a surprised look.

"Yep, what did you expect it to be, agriculture?" Stella bit the bottom of her lip, and Tecna groaned. "You're the third person to react like that. Ev'rybody assumes I'm some ignorant hick who doesn't know how to use those 'high falutin computers and talky boxes because I’m from Titania'," Tecna exaggerated the last part, making the girls giggle. "Well, that there ain't the case. We may not use technology for ev'rythin', but I'm actually pretty savvy with it."

"Well, you're not helping your case by using incorrect grammar," Stella jested, giggling.

Tecna rolled her eyes. "Button your lip, you."

"All right, all right, I'm sorry. You don't have to get your knickers in a bunch. I've just never been to Titania, but I've heard… things about it," Stella sheepishly said. "Zenith is pretty, though."

"Gee, thanks," Tecna snorted.

“Smooth,” Bloom sarcastically said to Stella, gaining a bump in the arm from the slightly embarrassed princess. "Um, what’s Zenith? Is that a town in Titania or something?" 

"My home planet, Zenith has two sides, Zenith and Titania. I'm from Titania and it ain't really known for being technologically advanced and whatnot, unlike Zenith. That's all ya'll need to know."

"Oh," Bloom replied, mentally noting that fact.

"Excuse my outburst, I just get heated when folks bring that stuff up,” Tecna apologized, brushing her hair away with her hand. “Now, Bloom you said your spark was fyre?”

Blooms shrugged. “I think so, not really sure yet.”

“Bloom was homeschooled,” Musa whispered.

“Really now? Your ineptitude makes a little mo’e sense,” Tecna said. “Sorry if that was hurtful.”

Bloom shrugged. “Not the worse I’ve heard, won’t be the last.”

“Yeah, you’re at Alfea after all, one of the best fairy schools, like ever,” Flora said, cracking her knuckles. “You’ll totes be able to hone your spark soon enough.”

"I sure hope so." Bloom sighed, glancing out the window at passing trees and surreal scenery. The rest of the trip went on mostly in silence, with the occasional small talk about the school and news about different planets breaking it.

***

Bloom jumped off the bus and stretched her legs as the group exited the bus. She looked around Magix City and couldn't believe what she was seeing. While the city wasn't completely normal like Earth, it wasn't what she expected. She thought she'd find a fairytale world with castles and carriages. This place reminded her of home, except with flying cars and buses.

Musa was the opposite. She gleefully skipped around, amazed at all the colors and buildings around her. "I'm in Magix City. I never thought I'd see this place in real life! It's like a dream come true!"

"What do you think, Bloom?" Stella asked, sliding next to the redhead.

Bloom blinked twice. "To be honest, I'm kinda disappointed with how ordinary this place is. This is the capital of Magix? The most enchanted city in the universe? Seriously?"

"What did you expect?" Musa asked, scratching her head.

"Dragons, unicorns, horse carriages, waterfalls, giants, flying brooms, stuff like that." Bloom shrugged.

Stella sighed while Flora, Musa, and Tecna burst into laughter. There was the blushing for Bloom again.

“You’s making me laugh now, fyrecracker.” Tecna said through chuckles. “Horse-drawn carriages? What time period do you think this is?”

“I’m so afraid to ask,” Bloom mumbled under her breath. 

“Dude, all that stuff you heard is from non-magi fairy tales. People here can use magic whenever they want to, but don’t expect to see anything like that stuff,” Flora explained. “No dragons, no waterfalls, no unicorns, just simplicity." 

As Bloom still looked confused, Tecna wiped a tear from her eye. "What in tarnation else did you expect, floatin' buildings?"

“No…” Bloom’s eyes shifted nervously.

"There is that town, Harmony, that has a couple of floating buildings; those require lots of magic and it's not the most practical thing. It's mostly just for looks," Musa explained while taking pictures with her cell phone. "Unicorns and dragons aren't really found in towns or cities, either. It must be different from where you're from."

"Um… yep," Bloom sheepishly said, feeling her cheeks get warm again, especially when she heard continuous laughter from Tecna.

"Oh, I needed that," the farm girl said, stifling a few more laughs. "Fyrecracker, you are too funny."

 _Well, I’m thoroughly embarrassed_ , Bloom thought while rubbing her forehead. 

Stella pulled the redhead closer to her side before whispering. “You really should keep your ignorance about Magix to a minimum.”

“Right… shut up,” Bloom replied, pulling out her phone. “Where is this dumb restaurant anyway?”

"The Veil, it is a few blocks away and you're going to love it," Stella beamed, leading the girls to the place. "Oh, this is going to be so much fun!"

"No, this is going to be awesomerific!" Musa said, skipping along the path. "I can't wait to fill up my belly!" 

"Yeah, I need somethin’ to grub on. My belly’s growlin’ more than an angry mutt," Tecna said. “This Veil place better have some tasty meals.”

“Do they have pizza? I could really go for a slice right now,” Bloom said, rubbing her stomach. 

“Piz-za?” Stella cocked her head. “That messy confectionery filled with nothing but calories? No, they don’t have that mess.”

“Well, to be fair, vegan pizza is a thing,” Bloom responded, checking her phone for texts.

“Vegan pizza? OMD, I could totally try some vegan ‘za,” Flora agreed brightly. “If we do some searching we can totally find a restaurant that serves it here. This is Magix after all, they have everything!”

“I am hankerin’ for a meat lovers right now,” Tecna acknowledged. “What about you, short stack?”

Musa nodded as well. “I’m game for anything, as long as it’s with my new friends.”

“We are _not_ passing up the Veil for ridiculous common piz-za,” Stella said, slightly offended. “I made reservations, do you know how hard it is to make reservations at the Veil on last notice?”

“Aren’t you a princess?” Tecna asked. “That shouldn’t be too hard.”

“Not the point,” Stella said. “Look, let’s put it to a vote, the elegant Veil where they treat you like royalty or galivanting around town searching for a… piz-za place.”

Tecna and Flora raised their hands for pizza while Musa and Stella raised their hands for the Veil.

Tecna stared at the chipper girl. “Musa, you just said it didn’t mattar."

“Yeah, but she’s a princess I can’t really say no to her,” Musa said, gesturing to Stella to prove her point. 

“Thank you, Musa,” Stella said, patting the girl on the back. She turned towards Bloom who had her eyes focused on her phone, waiting for any texts or calls from her parents. “Bloom, you’re the deciding factor.”

“What?” Bloom lifted her head confused. “Oh right, um well I suggested it so, pizza. Come on Princess, leave your corner and enjoy some ‘za with your new… bestie.”

“You’re just saying that ‘cause you want junk food,” Stella pouted for a second, but that turned into a grin quickly. “And I’ll take it, pizza it is! Come, ladies, to the nearest junk food establishment!”

“You excited, Bloom?” Musa asked.

Bloom shifted her eyes from her cell phone, towards Musa. “Yeah, definitely, this is going to be fun. Fun. Fun. Fun.”

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End of part 1
> 
> Wow, wasn't it great Bloom meeting the girls and what a colorful cast of characters we have so far. Hope y'all enjoyed reading chapter 3 and continue onto part 2 to finish up this bad boy.


	6. Chapter 3: Magix Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next day arrives, Bloom and Stella are introduced to their new apartment-mates, Musa, Tecna, and Flora. The girls then go for a day out in Magix City, but along the day of fun comes danger and the meeting of three witches after Stella's ring. Will Bloom and the girls make it out without getting hurt? Check it out here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We return to the thrilling (It is trust me) conclusion of chapter 3. Y'all know the rest now enjoy the best! Oh, I love writing these. Where we left off is Bloom and the gang arriving in Magix and going for as Stella puts it, “Piz-za" now they will finally meet the Trix! Be prepared!
> 
> Enjoy.

Chapter 3: Magix! Part 2

Georje Larysa was a normal, simple man who sold eyeglasses for a living and considered himself an expert at making them. He wasn't particularly famous for this job, but his business was still popular enough that he had a loyal clientele. He had one rule - to always make sure his customer left pleased and that had worked out for him. The job wasn't always pleasant, not too demanding though and he'd always have a nice chat with his customers.

Today was not one of those days.

His usually filled business was practically deserted except for Georje himself and a disgruntled and towering, bandage-clad ogre impatiently waiting at the front. Georje hastily hurried to repair the ogre's glasses. He wasn't sure about his ogre knowledge but knew they didn't look happy by default and could recover from almost any damage. The process was draining, tiring and quite itchy, and this made the already temperamental beings to become even more frustrated. Georje wasn't prepared to have his only business destroyed by an ogre's budding fury.

"All right, I'm finished. H-here you go," Georje stammered, handing the creature a pair of wide, rectangle-framed, light purple glasses.

"These are purple," Knut grumbled, sounding annoyed.

"Uh, actually it's mauve, which you could technically call purple. It is a chic color for frames these days," Georje explained. "They help bring out your eye- uh… I mean hide any unsightly marks."

"Are these the only frames you have?" Knut asked impatiently, examining the frames.

"It comes in three other colors but those are out of stock," Georje explained, taking a step back. "Y- you'd have to wait a few days."

Instead of the ogre getting angry though, he just sighed while perusing the other frames. His only working eye glanced out the window while he was looking and he froze.

"Did you see them?" Knut asked the glasses salesman.

"Who?" Georje asked.

"The girls, the fairies, one of them was blonde and the other might've been a redhead," Knut said, shaking, "You saw them walk by, right?"

"Uh, maybe… there are a lot of fairies in this area, especially since the new school year started."

"I'm aware… and if you'll excuse me…" Knut shoved the new glasses into his pocket. "I have to run, thanks for the glasses!"

"Hey, wait you need to pay for those— Oh, who am I kidding?" Georje sighed while feeling relieved. "At least he didn't wreck my store."

Outside, Knut snuck into an alley, breathing heavily.

"I found them, yes! I must call my mistresses." He dug into one of the pockets on his overalls and pulled out a large phone. He mashed a couple of buttons then put the phone to his ear.

"Knut, so disappointing to hear from you," a gruff, female voice said from the other side of the phone. "This call better be good or I'm going to turn you inside out so many times you won't see straight for a year."

The ogre gulped. "Apologies again for my last failure, your wickedness, but I have great news," he said subserviently. "I saw Princess Stella with some girls. They're here in Magix City. Meet me at the Witches Alley immediately… or as fast as you can."

"The bimbo's in Magix, of course," the voice over the phone cackled. "Start of the school year and she's probably ready to party. This is almost too easy. Knut, keep watch on them until we arrive. Unless that's too complicated for you to do."

"I can, I promise," Knut said as kindly as he could, but his face betrayed a dark, frustrated grimace.

"Excellent. First, we're going to catch her, take her scepter, then crush her into fairy dust." The voice cackled once more, causing Knut to pull the phone away from his ear. There were only so many times he could hear that sound without his eardrums smarting. "But Knut, if you fail us once more, I'll beat you so hard you'll never have to worry about wearing glasses again."

Knut tried to envision that threat for a second then shivered in fear. "Got it, no glasses! Won't fail!"

The call ended with that confirmation. Knut grumbled a few curse words as he shoved the phone back into his pocket. He took a deep breath and went down the alley to follow the girls.

***

“Wow, this is fantastic!” Musa exclaimed in-between chews of her pineapple pizza. “There are so many flavors in my mouth.”

“That can’t be that appetizing since you got piz-za with just pineapple on it,” Stella said, already having taken a few nibbles from her vegan cheese pizza slice. 

“It’s the best and you’d love it too,” Musa said, taking another bite.

“I can’t believe you and Flo’a got the most basic slices I’ve ever seen. They have a meat lovers pizza, it has five types of meats!” Tecna critiqued, chowing down on a large slice topped with a multitude of dubious-looking meats.

“Hey, veggie pizza is good, too, and you don’t end up with indigestion later,” Flora reasoned. 

“Yes, I agree,” Stella nodded. “How is that quadruple stacked heart attack?"

"Delicious," Tecna smirked.

Stella giggled. “Bloom,” she said, staring at the redhead whose eyes were still focused on her phone. “Bloom, dear, what do you think of your slice of junk food? It was your idea after all.”

“Huh? Oh, uh, it’s not bad,” Bloom mumbled, taking a small bite while keeping her eyes on the phone, but didn’t show any interest in eating the food. “Really, chewy.”

"Somethin’ on your mind, fyre cracka?" Tecna asked her mouth uncomfortably full.

"Swallow before you speak," Stella ordered, wiping away pieces from Tecna's pizza debris. "Or at least cover your mouth."

"Betta?" Tecna replied, swiping a hand across her lips.

"Much," Stella said. She looked over at Bloom as the girl kept her eyes on her phone. "Is something wrong, Bloom?"

"It's nothing, it's nothing, I just think … well… it's just," Bloom paused feeling her cheeks get warm. "I'm starting to miss my parents, is all."

"Aww," Musa cooed.

Bloom groaned. "I've just never been this far away from them before and seeing all this stuff reminds me of home. I mean, it's not like I miss them that much..."

Musa giggled. "Hey, it's okay if you miss them. I'm homesick, too," she reassured. "Why not call them now? That always helps when I'm far from home and my papa."

"I mean I guess I could give them a quick call, if you guys don't mind," Bloom said, looking around at them for consent.

"Calling your parents is totally fine," Flora said, with the other girls nodding in agreement.

Bloom dialed her parents’ number but was met with no reception. "Odd, it isn't working. I'm not even getting a signal.”

“Let me see it,” Tecna said, holding her hand out. Bloom handed the magenta-haired girl the phone. 

"I love examinin' these things… what in the heck." The girl stifled a few chuckles while still looking over the phone.

Bloom cocked her head. "What's so funny?"

"This "Phone" is damn near ancient technology. Mah Pa wouldn't even use this."

"But… it's the newest model!" Bloom exclaimed, offended. "And it's not that funny!"

"You forget, that's the most recent on Earth, love," Stella whispered to the redhead. Bloom made an angry expression then punched the blonde on her arm. "Okay, unwarranted, got it."

“Faragonda said she had it covered,” Bloom said aloud. “Even if it is ancient technology, she said she’d fix it.”

“It might take a day or two before this junky phone is fully operational, I reckon,” Tecna theorized. “Which is why you do this a week ahead of time.”

Bloom angrily snatched her phone back from Tecna’s hand.

"So, do you have another way I can call them, Tecna?" Bloom asked through gritted teeth.

"There's a telephone booth down the corner on the left side of the street. Take this," Stella replied handing Bloom a gold-colored coin.

"Thanks, Princess. Once again, you're a lifesaver," Bloom said before getting up from her seat. “I’ll be right back.” She gave her roommates a quick wave as she walked out of the restaurant.

"She's a dark one, what’s up with our roomie?" Flora questioned when the redhead was gone. 

"Yeah… no offense, but you sure she's a fairy?" Tecna added. “And not a… You know?”

“Shock, how dare you accuse Bloom of such insults?” Musa said, covering her mouth. “She may be odd, but she’s not a… W.I.T.C.H.”

"Darlings, darlings, don't be so hard on her. She's far from home and new to this place," Stella defended her. "I'm a little surprised she's a fairy too, but she's not that bad. You shouldn't be judging a book by its cover."

"I see your point," Flora agreed. "I just hope she doesn't set any of my plants on fire."

"She won't," Stella said laughing before pausing. "I mean… I don't think she will."

"How did y’all even meet?" Tecna asked.

"I'll have her explain that when she gets back. I've told you enough," Stella said, gleefully taking another bite from her cheese pizza.

***

"Hey, mom? It's me, Bloom.”

"Bloom? It's you! Mike, she finally called!" Vanessa shouted into the phone. "It's so good to hear from you. How is school? Are you doing well? How are your new roommates? Did you eat yet?"

"School is fine so far. I'm doing well. My new roommates are... interesting, to say the least, and we're out for dinner right now. Did you know pizza existed here? It's pretty interesting that Italian cuisine migrated to Magix."

"You left the school?!" Bloom heard her father call out from the other side of the phone.

"Nothing bad has happened," she reassured them. "I'm actually surprised at how normal Alfea and this city are. Aside from the floating cars, everything is pretty normal. Normal buildings, good, but weird food, and regular dorms."

"That's good!" Vanessa said happily.

“She’s not with any boys, is she?” Mike questioned, his voice suddenly closer to the receiver.

Bloom resisted the urge to groan. “Of course not, dad, I’m just with my roommates who are all girls.”

“Oh, thank God, because you don’t know any of these boys, they could be murderers or liars!” Mike exclaimed.

“You’re right in my ear, honey,” Vanessa chided, annoyed.

“Dad, I’m fine,” Bloom reassured, twirling the phone cord. “Don’t make me regret calling you guys. I did miss you though, and wanted to see how you were surviving without me.”

"We miss you too, pumpkin," Vanessa cooed. "It does sound like you're having a good time and everything is okay here. Your father and I are just having a little fun ourselves," her mother giggled.

“Ew,” Bloom gagged. She tried not to imagine any weird situations that her parents were up to. "Moving on, classes start tomorrow morning. I'll make sure to keep you posted."

"Okay. Also, great news, the house is fully repaired thanks to those magical people, they came right over and spruced everything up. They even fixed the TV,” Vanessa recounted. 

“Wow, really?” Bloom asked, surprised. “That’s the least they could do after coming so late.”

“I know, right,” Vanessa said with a sigh. “Oh, and a couple of your friends came by to see you, but we told them you're going to a boarding school out of the state. It's the best thing we could come up with.”

“Great, now they’re going to think I did something wrong,” Bloom jested leaning against the phone booth. Her expression quickly froze in shock when she noticed something strangely familiar from outside the booth. "Um, mom, I've gotta go, my roommates are calling me. I'll call you when I get back to Alfea. Love you. Bye."

"'Kay pumpkin. Love you too. Bye."

With that, Bloom hung up and stared down the alley on the opposite side of the street. She was sure she just saw that ogre who had attacked her just two days ago. There were possibly more ogres in this world, but the one that passed her had injuries that matched the ones the ogre had. She raced across the street, determined to figure out what that beast was up to this time.

She snuck into the opening of an alley, trying to remain silent, and looked around the corner. It was filled with trash cans and piles of opened boxes and sure enough, not far down stood the same ogre who had attacked Stella. She spotted him walk into another alley and heard a different, raspy voice say, "Well, look who freaking showed up. You took your precious time I see. Did you find the bimbo?"

"I a-apologize about that, my enchantresses," the ogre stuttered.

Bloom made sure to stay hidden, ducking behind a corner, and peeked out to see who the ogre was talking to. It was standing in front of three girls, whom she judged to be about a few years older than her. 

One girl standing in the center had pale skin and a menacing scowl on her face, which stood in contrast with her light blue midriff tank top and matching skirt with black diamond-studded belt, and dark blue stiletto boots. She seemed to like the color blue, since the makeup she had on consisted mostly of blue shades. Her hair, on the other hand, was an impressively long silver-white and in a ponytail that stopped at her waist.

On her left was another girl with yellow-tinted glasses that didn't hide the look of indifference on her face. Long, straight chestnut brown hair reached down to her back. She had fair skin that stood in contrast to her dark purple makeup and indigo tank top connected to a choker, purple bell-bottoms, and matching boots.

The last girl to the right was much shorter than the other two. Her hair was an unruly dark blue frizzy mess with lavender bangs to each side. She had on a maroon crop-top with a metal loop that connected to her choker, with a matching mini-skirt and high-heels. Even her makeup was maroon.

Bloom tilted her head at the strange color-coordinated outfits each girl wore, slightly impressed with each design.

"Always groveling. Did you find them or not?!" the silver hair girl demanded.

"I found them, my enchantress. It was really hard keeping up without being spotted," the ogre feebly explained. "You understand, right? Right?"

"He's been following us?" Bloom shivered to herself.

"I guess that's smarter than what you've been doing lately," the girl with the yellow glasses said. "We wouldn't like a repeat of last time, which from the looks of it… didn't go over well."

"Yeah, you look like shit," the frizzy-haired girl said bluntly.

"Thank you for reminding me, mistress," the ogre grumbled.

"Enough about you, what information do you have for us?" the silver-haired girl demanded.

"I spotted Princess Stella with four other girls on Baton Avenue before heading to a restaurant. She might be wearing her ring… I honestly wasn't able to tell with the one working eye," the ogre explained. "And I think that Earthling girl was with her."

"Hm, we have both the princess and that meddling girl together," The silver-hair girl said, her leer spreading wider. "This is almost _too_ easy."

"I've gotta warn the others," Bloom whispered, still trying to listen in while not being noticed. 

"Knut, that earthling girl you mentioned, you said she had orange-red hair, right?" the girl with the yellow glasses questioned, tilting her head.

Knut nodded.

"Hm… sisters, I think we're being watched," the brunette whispered to her sisters. "I'll take care of this."

"Make it quick," the frizzy-haired girl winked.

The brunette readjusted her glasses before waving her hands across her body and vanishing in thin air. The remaining group casually stood there waiting.

Bloom's eyes widened. "Where did she go?"

"Surprise," Bloom heard a voice say from behind her. She turned to see the brunette staring at her with an evil look on her face. The girl covered the redhead's mouth before she could yell and shoved her into the alley. "Look what I found, girls!"

“Yeah, we knew she was there,” the white-haired girl said, matter-a-factly. “If you gave me another minute I could’ve snatched her myself.”

“Beat you to it,” the bespectacled girl said with a smirk. The brunette dragged Bloom over to the group and tossed her onto the ground. The three girls encircled her. "Knut, was this the earthling you came across?"

Knut examined Bloom with his one good eye then growled. "That's her."

The silver-haired girl smirked. "So, you're Stella's new bestie?"

"Wh-who are you?" Bloom asked, fearing for her life. She regretted leaving her friends to follow this ogre on her own.

"Who are we? _Who are we_?" the silver-haired girl mocked before laughing along with her sisters. "We're the witches of Cloud Tower and…" She pressed her boot down on Bloom's hand so she wouldn't try to crawl away. "I'm Icy, the girl to my left is Darcy and the girl to my right is Stormy. Don't worry about remembering them. After we're done with you, you won't remember a thing."

Bloom chuckled despite herself, her tone wavering. "Icy? Stormy? Those are your real names? Did your parents just pick out random things that popped into their heads or do they hate you?" she asked, ignoring the pain in her hand. "How is Darcy the only normal name in the mix?"

Icy's pale face turned a bright pink along with Stormy while Darcy covered her mouth in shock.

"Where the hell do you get off saying such insults to a senior witch?" Icy snapped, pressing down a little harder on Bloom’s hand, making her wince.

"Sorry, forgot to give a shit," Bloom hissed while trying to pull away.

Icy growled then kicked the redhead to the floor.

A plan was forming in Bloom’s mind and as she lifted herself up off the ground and wiped away the blood from her lip she started laughing, like nothing they did fazed her. If she just pretended none of this was frightening her and that she had more than enough power to hurt them, maybe they would eventually leave her alone. It was a gamble since having only discovered her powers three days ago, there was no way she could defeat these three on her own. "You think that hurts me? I'm a fairy, I can take you down with one flick of the finger."

"Come at me then!" Icy said, holding her hands out.

Bloom desperately tried to call upon the same power she had used against the imps, trying to scare the witches. Unfortunately, no matter how hard she concentrated, she couldn't even create a single spark to attack the witches. The power she possessed only two days ago didn’t seem to be around anymore.

Icy approached the girl, kicked her down, and placed her boot across the nervous redhead's back. "Typical fairy trash, all talk, and no bite."

"Oh, you're right, I'm no good. I’m worthless. Your scathing words have hurt my wittle ol' feelings," Bloom said with a mocking sad tone.

"Icy, please let me deal with this one," Stormy begged, clenching her fist.

Icy simply held up her hand to silence the cloud-haired girl. “I got this. Listen fairy, we’re not after you, all we want is the princesses ring and you can either help us or else.”

Bloom scoffed. “I may not know Stella that well, but I’m definitely not letting three witches -- sorry, meant to say _bitches--_ hurt her!” she tried her hardest to sound defiant, but that was a little difficult with a boot on your back.

"You think calling us bitches is going to upset us?" Darcy questioned, unfazed.

"Well, it stung a little, won’t lie." Stormy pouted.

Icy sighed. “Stormy, shut up!” She turned to the ogre and shouted, “Knut, go find those girls and try not to take all fucking day!”

“On it.” Knut hurried out of the alley, gleeful he could finally get away from the witches.

"While we wait for that oaf, we will stay here to keep an eye on our ginger-haired fairy," Icy said, pressing her boot down deeper into the girl's back. “Now, what shall we do first?”

"You can do whatever you like, but don't expect me to cower and quiver like a little girl. I’m not afraid of you coven wannabees. No matter how deep you dig those things you call shoes into my back," Bloom taunted, feeling less brave than she looked. "This isn't even the worst pain I've been through today."

"You sure do love mouthing off, don't you?" Darcy said, sounding intrigued.

"Yeah, I do that with assholes," Bloom snidely replied. "Uh, ice chick, could you adjust your boot? I have some lower tension in my back."

"Why you-" Icy started, digging her heel deeper in the girl's spine. Bloom could feel every painful twist of it. She squeezed her fist, resisting the urge to scream out in pain since she didn’t want to show weakness in front of the sinister witches. "Yup, much better."

"This ginger bitch is getting on my last nerves," Stormy seethed. "Can we do something to shut her up?"

"Hm, I think I have an idea," Icy replied with a smirk. She removed her foot from the redhead’s back. Bloom stayed down, unsure of what might happen next, but the white-haired witch wasn't in the mood for waiting. She grabbed the girl by her hair, pulling her up from the ground. 

"Hair pulling, that's a new one," Bloom said trying to untangle her hair from the girl's grip.

"Shut it, you weak-willed fairy!" Icy said, pulling the girl closer to her. "Listen clearly, we are only after Princess Stella's ring, you really have no involvement in this which means we can let you go if you help us."

"Help you?" Bloom questioned, her eyes narrowing.

"Yes, let the bimbo princess come to us and we let you go. Never to deal with us again," Icy offered.

"Looks like you'll have to fight me then," Bloom replied without a second thought, stomping on Icy's foot. The white-haired witch screamed as she released her grip on the redhead’s hair. Bloom stumbled backward. "I don't know what you want with her ring and I really don't care, but I’m not going to let you hurt her while I'm still standing."

Even though she wanted to get away from the witches, who seemed ready to beat her up for Stella's ring, she couldn’t let the princess get hurt. They weren’t exactly the best of friends yet, but Stella had helped her when her family was in danger - albeit because of the blonde herself - so the least she could do was return the favor. 

Icy smirked. "What's one little weak fairy going to do?"

Bloom simply smiled before quickly charging at the witch and tackling her to the ground. She pinned the furious witch's arms behind her back while laughing. "That's what one weak fairy can do, even if I'm not using my powers."

Icy glared at her sisters who had been silently watching the fight. "Are you idiots just going to stand there or help me?!"

"Oh, right," Darcy and Stormy said in unison.

Stormy held out her hands and caused a strong gust of wind to send Bloom flying back into a wall. She slid down groggily. Bloom glared at the cloud-haired girl and tried to charge at her, but the witch managed to grab the redhead by the arm, swirling her around before knocking her to the ground.

"That's how you dodge someone," Stormy said with a smirk. "Make sure to take notes, sis."

"Oh, shut up," Icy snapped, standing back up. She then glared at Bloom. "All right, now I'm pissed."

"Well, more pissed than usual," Stormy said, crossing her arms.

"Not the point!" Icy hissed. She then turned to Bloom, who was still on the ground and walked over to her. "Fairy, do you seriously want to test my patience? Now, whatever your name is, there are three of us and one of you. Do you really want to keep this up?"

"If it means protecting Stella, then yes," Bloom said. "Or you could just let me go and pretend like this meet-up never happened."

"You already know too much," Icy said, stepping closer to the girl.

"Clichéd much?" Bloom mumbled before attempting to punch Icy.

Icy dodged then elbowed the girl in the back, knocking her to the ground. Before Bloom could stand back up, the white-haired girl kicked her in the stomach.

"Aww, what happened?" Icy said, pressing her foot down on Bloom's side. "I thought you were going to stop us with the flick of a finger."

The fire, it was growing again, but Bloom still couldn’t muster up enough of it to defeat the witches. She wasn’t backing down though as she stumbled over to the white-haired girl, trying to regain her footing.

Icy simply stood there, patiently waiting for another hit her way. Her malicious grin turned into a snicker once she noticed she had the upper hand. She placed a finger on Bloom’s head before saying, “How are you gonna protect the princess if you can’t even protect yourself. This is almost adorable. What a strong wittle fairy you are, I’d love to keep going, but let’s end this my way.” 

“What… could you possibly… do to me now?” Bloom asked weakly.

The ice witch simply smiled before slamming the redhead against the wall she was thrown at by Stormy earlier. She then violently struck Bloom in the stomach. Not only did she feel the punch, but she also felt something frigid crawling down her legs. Looking below her, she was frightened to discover that ice was encasing her body from the waist down where Icy struck her. Bloom attempted to break free, but even with all of her strength, the ice was too thick for her to make a scratch.

“Stop this!” Bloom demanded, clawing at the ice.

Icy laughed evilly at Bloom’s futile attempts. “I wouldn’t try scratching the ice, fairy. All you’re going to do is chip a nail.”

Bloom glared at the girl, before yanking at Icy’s long white ponytail with her unfrozen hands. "I'm not letting you hurt her!"

"Oh, fairy's getting mad, is she?" Icy said, snickering. "Us hurting that princess is the least of your worries, brat!"

She struck Bloom again in the chest and this time, she could feel the ice enveloping her upper body. Before she could scream one last time the ice encased her body fully, freezing the girl into a giant icicle. A small puff of air escaped her frozen lips as Icy leered at her creation.

“Damn, I’m good,” she said.

“Yeah, want to have us do more next time?” Darcy pouted, arms crossed. “I didn’t even get to do anything, sister.”

“Not my fault you decided to be useless today,” Icy replied with a shrug. 

Darcy was about to respond but was interrupted by Knut running back into the alleyway, trying to catch his breath. He met eyes with the angry witches who acted like they had been waiting for him for hours when only a few minutes passed.

“What took you so damn long?” Icy asked.

“I had… a little trouble… finding them your enchant- What happened to her?!” Knut exclaimed now noticing the frozen Bloom stuck to the wall like a fly caught in a sticky trap. He gulped nervously fearful the same would happen to him. 

“I turned her into an ice sculpture, what else is new?” Icy said, nonchalantly. “Now did the princess follow you or not?”

“Sh- she should be here any minu- aaaah!” Knut was cut off being sent flying back by an energy of light that knocked him on the ground with a loud thud.

"Excellent. They're here," Icy said, slightly annoyed. "Thanks for the protection, Knut."

Knut let out a small whimper.

"Bloom! Bloom! Bl-" Stella shouted as she and the other girls hurried around the corner before stopping when they saw what was before them - three witches, the ogre, and Bloom encased in ice on the wall with a permanent look of anger and pain on her face. Stella covered her mouth in shock. “Oh no.”

"You like what we did to her?" Icy asked, staring at Bloom. "She's much quieter now."

"Let her go!" Stella demanded, clenching her fist as they started to emit light energy. "If you don't, I'll-"

"Stop right there," Icy said, putting a hand up. "Wouldn’t want to come any closer, something bad might happen to her. Like smashing her body into tiny pieces.”

"Don't you bloody touch her!" Stella said, stalking towards the girls.

"Oh, look, princess, I'm touching her, I'm touching her," Stormy said, poking the frozen girl in her eye. "Hey, maybe we could turn her into a tiny figurine."

"Oh, we could make her into a keychain if we want," Darcy said, walking forward. "The possibilities are endless if you don't want to hear us out."

"Piss off, I don’t want to hear a damn word you twits have to say,” Stella said defiantly. She was ready to attack as light once again formed around her hands. “Now. Let. Her. Go!”

“Aw, you’re trying to be threatening. That’s adorable. Well since you want to act tough, why don’t I make that ice thicker,” Icy said in a disturbingly calm way. She raised her index finger. “It’ll make it harder for you to try and free her and I think she’ll have some breathing issues too. Your choice.”

Stella tried to block out her words, but the thought of Bloom encased in more ice, unable to breathe, made her back away from the witches as the light around her hands dimmed. 

“That’s what I thought,” Icy replied with a sneer. "As I was about to say, all you have to do is hand over your ring and I'll unfreeze her. You should make your decision fast too. I don't know how long she'll last on ice."

Stella stared at Bloom then down at her ring. Her hand began to shake as she contemplated giving it away to save Bloom, but her father had entrusted her with the ring because she would become Queen someday. At the same time, even though Bloom was cold towards her, she saw her as a friend. She made a promise yesterday, to protect Bloom no matter the costs, and sometimes, protecting your friends means you have to sacrifice. That thought made her decision as she began slipping the ring off her finger until Tecna stepped in front of her.

“All right, I think that’s about enough,” she said confidently. “Do y'all seriously think there was a chance she’d give up that easily? You think a lil’ ice will stop us from kickin’ your asses?” 

Icy cackled. “Oh please, do _y'all_ _reckon_ a group of pathetic fairies will stop us?” 

“We’re standing right here,” Tecna said, widening her arms.

Icy rolled her eyes. “Come on, would you fairies just stop, this is a losing battle and you know it.”

“Yeah, do you seriously think you can stop three senior-level witches? We have the upper hand here,” Darcy agreed.

“This is just embarrassing,” Stormy added.

“You’re just scared we can defeat you,” Stella said, triumphantly securing her ring. “If you hadn’t noticed, your ogre is already on the ground, so that just leaves - “ she said, pointing them out as she went along, ”one, two, _three_ witches to fight.”

“Seems like a fair fight to me,” Flora chimed in. “I don’t mind taking down a few evildoers who froze my new roomie.”

“And I’ve been fixin’ for some action all day!” Tecna said, pounding her fist against her open hand.

“Yeah, we’ve got fairy power! You don’t scare us,” Musa cheered, jumping up and down.

Icy glared at the girls for a second before throwing a hand in the air, “Okay, so you want to do it the stupid way. Fine. I try to be nice and _this_ is what it gets me.” The ice witch shook her head and walked over to Bloom. She stared at her and then the angry Stella. “I can see why you're friends with her.”

“That, and stupid begets stupid,” Darcy added with a chuckle, making the other witches cackle with her.

Stella, who had already turned her ring into a staff, was seething with rage as the witches kept laughing at her while Bloom was turned into an icicle. She wanted to keep her promise on protecting Bloom and a group of ‘senior witches’ wasn’t going to stop her. 

“We got this, Stels,” Musa said quietly, placing a reassuring hand on the girl's shoulder.

Stella turned towards her roommates with a cocky smile on her face. The other girls nodded in response. In a flash, each girl transformed into their fairy forms. 

Stella was wearing the same orange crop top, shorts, and knee-high boots. She turned to see the other girls and smiled. 

Flora's outfit was a sparkling fuchsia and orchid one-piece off-the-shoulder mini dress with a pair of shorts underneath, and matching fingerless gloves and ankle boots. A green choker adorned with a pink four-petaled flower was wrapped around her neck. There was a small round pouch hung on a loop about the waist of her dress. Her wings were lime green.

Musa’s outfit consisted of a sparkling red top with a translucent pink belt, a matching mini skirt with magenta shorts underneath, and knee-high wedge boots of the same color. A pair of purple headphones rested atop her head and purple ribbons were wound around her forearms. Her wings were a translucent bright blue.

Tecna's outfit was the most distinctive. It was a sparkling lavender full body suit with powder blue sleeves, a thick purple whip wrapped around her waist, and matching ankle boots. Her hair was covered by a lavender helmet with a lime green tear-shaped brooch on it. Her wings were a dark purple.

“Wow, we look fabulous!” Stella complimented. 

“I hate it when they do that!” Stormy exclaimed, rubbing her eyes. “Give a girl a warning before you do the light show!”

“You’re just jealous you don’t look as good as us,” Musa said before sticking out her tongue at the witch.

Icy and her sisters groaned. 

"I do not have time to deal with these idiots. Knut, get the ring!" Icy commanded.

"Gladly," Knut growled. "Princess, you're going to pay for the damage you've done to me."

"Um, how are we going to defeat him?" Flora questioned worriedly.

Before Stella could answer, Knut charged at the girls at full speed. The girls jumped out of the way of his attack, causing Knut to run past them and nearly stumble.

"Ah got this one. Static Sphere!" Tecna called out an attack. This caused a girded sphere to surround Knut. "That outta hold him off for a fine minute."

Her claim was proven wrong as Knut easily broke through the net without hesitation. Tecna's face turned pale.

"Quickly, does anyone know an ogre's weakness?" Musa asked, floating.

"Um, Ah did hear they're sensitive to sound and smells," Tecna answered, trying to evade the beast.

"Sound? Really? In that case…" Musa's bright grin returned to her face. She then let out a long, loud whistle.

The high-pitched whistle resounded across the alley. Sound shockwaves shot towards the massive ogre causing him to stop and claw at his ears in pain. Knowing that her attack worked, Musa quickly clapped her hands, causing the ogre to wince while trying to keep his ears plugged.

"Thanks, Musa. Now it's my turn," Flora said, taking a step forward. With a smooth practiced movement, she pulled yellow dust from her pouch before shouting, "Golden Pollen!"

She blew the dust towards the disgruntled ogre and a vine burst from the ground, grabbing the ogre and wrapping around his waist. Flora calmly moved the vine with one hand before tossing the creature behind her and into a wall, bringing the entire foundation down upon it in the process.

" _Please_ don't tell me that just happened," Icy mumbled, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Let's hire the ogre, that'll be a smart idea," Stormy mocked. "Ugh, what a fucking moron and waste of money!"

“I don’t want to, like, interrupt your towering fury, but could you please give us Bloom back,” Flora asked, slightly unaware this was a terrible thing to ask.

Stella and Tecna shared the same facepalm.

“Give her back?” Icy said in a mocking tone. “How about you take _this_ instead!” Icy conjured ice shards and hurled them at Flora. Stella and Musa quickly dodged the oncoming ice before they could be hit. Tecna quickly grabbed Flora and tossed them both to the ground.

“Flor’a,” Tecna started. “Next time, think befo’ you speak?”

“Right, sorry,” Flora said, giggling nervously. 

"You think just because you defeated that hulking moron we'll give up?" Icy questioned, stalking towards the girls ready to fire more shards at them. Her eyes filled with a hot fury. “Now give me that ring!”

"Why do you want my bleeding ring so badly?” Stella asked, covering her ring hand. “It’s not worth much and you tossers definitely can’t accessorize with it.”

"It’s not fashion-based, you bimbo. Look, I'd rather not waste any more of my time with you idiots," Icy replied taking a step closer to the fairies. "Just give me the ring or else your friend over there is going to have some serious frostbite.”

“You can’t get away with this,” Stella warned, pointing at the evil fiends. “I may not fully know who you wretched witches are or where you came from, but be warned my father’s got an army that can take you down in five seconds flat. Now who sent you?!”

“We’re from Cloud Tower.” Stormy unintentionally answered. “Isn’t it obvious?”

“Oh… I thought you were spies for one of my father’s enemies,” Stella answered, taken aback by their honest answer. She recovered quickly. “Cloud Tower was my second guess. Thank you.”

“Yeah, figures,” Flora agreed with a nod. 

"Yes, thank you, sister. Now they know what school we go to!" Icy scolded. “Dumbass!”

“Hey I am not a dumbass, we can just wipe it from their minds once we get the ring,” Stormy questioned. "You told the ginger our names!"

“You did do that,” Darcy agreed, standing on the sidelines.

"Because she won’t remember anything! I froze her!” Icy reminded Stormy as the fairies watched on silently. "We don’t need them knowing beca- forget it!" Icy turned towards her sisters. "This is not the place to argue. I’ll deal with both of you after we’re done with the fair- ahhhhhh!" She was interrupted by a purple whip wrapping around her waist and sending a surge of electricity through her body causing her to collapse to the ground.

"Huh?" Darcy questioned, startled.

"There's mo’ where that came from," Tecna laughed, drawing back the belt whip to her side. "Y’all talk too much. You ramble about kickin’ our asses and then start yackin' away."

"You’re right about one thing, we should be kicking your asses,” Stormy said with a smirk. She held up her right hand as lightning formed around her fingers. “Lightning Flash!”

Stormy released the lightning from her hand, aiming it towards the girls. Flora tackled Stella down to the pavement before one of the bolts could hit her in the chest. Musa and Tecna managed to evade the bolts as well. Stormy cackled preparing to aim more lightning at them.

"I should probably be doing something because I really don’t have time for this,” Flora mumbled, pulling out a few seeds from her pouch and tossing them over at the witches. "Ivy Ropes!"

Vines quickly started sprouting from the ground at a quick speed and grabbed Icy, Stormy, and Darcy by their hips and hoisted them into the air. The vines became tighter as the witches struggled to break free. 

"This can only hold them for a little while…" Flora said, struggling to keep multiple ropes in control. "Stella, get to Bloom. Try to unfreeze her and get us out of here now!"

"On it." The blonde nodded and sprung towards their frozen companion. Musa flew over as well. "Don't worry Bloom, I'll get you out of this ice prison… I hope."

Stella carefully placed her hand on the redhead's forehead and a bright glow started to emerge from her hand, attempting to melt the ice.

"Ooh," Musa said intrigued but jolted once Icy roared in anger causing giant chunks of ice to form from her hands towards Musa and Stella. The blue-haired girl was able to repel them back with a sonic wave. "Stella, you might want to hurry up."

"I can't do this in a few seconds. This ice is pretty bleeding thick!" Stella exclaimed angrily.

"Isn't there a way you can take her with us?" Musa questioned continuing to dodge the ice attacks.

"I can't… she's stuck here," Stella replied. "And I'm kind of under pressure with all the ice being thrown at me!"

"I won't be able to keep this going for long," Musa said, sending another sonic wave across some more ice chunks. "Okay, she's frozen to the wall, that's true, but if you try hard enough, you can take all of us out of here. You can do it, you’re a princess after all."

"You better do something. I can't hold them up much longer!" Flora said, straining to keep the vines in the air and moving them away from Stella and Musa.

Stella gulped nervously but spun her staff in the air before placing it firmly on the ground. She kept her hand placed on the girl's head before shouting. "Let's get out of here, ladies!"

The other girls raced over to her and in a bright flash of light, the group, along with Bloom, teleported away. The vines wilted away once Flora left causing the three witches to drop onto the pavement. 

"Get off me, you idiots!" Icy grumbled, pushing the brunette and frizzy-haired girl off her back. "Shit, they got away."

"They took the ginger fairy, too?" Stormy exclaimed once she saw their ice hostage was gone, only leaving an empty hole where Bloom was. "Dammit, that was our leverage!"

“Guess your ice wasn’t strong enough for the princess,” Darcy said, laying on her back.

Icy glared at her. "We were so close to taking that ring!" she exclaimed, infuriated. "Those damn fairies!"

Darcy stood up, rubbing her shoulders. "Sisters, I think we underestimated those fairies," she hypothesized. "They had to be first years, yet they had some experience."

“Oh, please, they were just lucky,” Icy said, rolling her eyes. “They may have gotten away this time, but that mistake won't happen again,” she cracked her neck to remove a crick before turning towards her sister. “Now let's get out of here before someone spots us."

***

After successfully escaping the witches, the girls landed in a clearing in the middle of the Enchanted Forest. Flora, Tecna, and Musa toppled over on the ground in dizzy exhaustion, de-transforming. Stella fell over as well since her hand was still stuck to the frozen girl’s head.

She breathed a sigh of relief before realizing Bloom was still encased in ice, albeit this time not stuck to a wall. Gasping, she yanked her hand away from her head, wincing from the freezer burn left over on it.

“A little help here,” she begged, struggling to lift the heavy ice-covered girl off the ground.

Tecna staggered over and helped lift Bloom off the ground without trouble. The ice-covered girl was able to stand up although this was because her feet weren’t on the ground, a solid block of ice kept her suspended. 

Musa skipped over, seeming to get over the effect of the trip, and waved her hand across Bloom’s face, but the girl’s eyes didn't move. "Poor Bloom, we gotta get her out of this ice."

"Don't worry, I got this," Stella replied. "I need one of you to stand behind her though."

Musa eagerly ran behind Bloom's back and held out her arms. "Ready."

"Okay, time to use a little solar heating!" Stella said, placing her hand back on Bloom's forehead. A bright light began to form from Stella's hand and her eyes began to glow a bright yellow. It took a few minutes, but the ice slowly started to melt away. 

"It's workin'!" Tecna said happily.

"Of course it is,” Stella confidently said, but she sighed quietly once she saw a spot of Bloom’s fair skin appear on her forehead.

As the ice started to melt down from Bloom's face, she started blinking her eyes. "Let me g- wait, wait, wait what's happening?"

"I'm thawing you out," Stella replied. "Don't move, or this is going to take longer than it already is."

"Huh?" Bloom muttered, noticing the princess was in front of her with glowing eyes. She tried looking around, but her neck was stuck. "What are you doing?"

"Unfreezing you, I just told you this," Stella repeated.

"I was frozen?" Bloom questioned groggily. As the ice melted around her chest she noticed the cold situation she was in although she didn’t remember why. "Oh right… something happened… all I remember is being with three people and then everything got really, really c- cold. Di-did s-something ha- happen? 

"Yeah, an ice witch froze you to a wall. I’m guessing it was because they wanted to get my ring," Stella explained, continuing to melt the ice. "I'll get you out in a pinch though."

"All right, but wh- where am I?" Bloom asked fretfully. Her teeth were chattering. "We're n- not st-still in that alley, are we? It- it was an alley… I th-think."

"Don’t worry, you’re away from those witches," Musa reassured. “Thanks to Stella, she was able to transport us away from them.” 

"Th-thank goodness," Bloom turned her head to see the blue-haired girl behind her. The girl eagerly waved at her. "W-why are you be-behind me?"

Musa shrugged.

"You'll find out in a minute," Stella answered. "Can you remember anything else about those witches?"

“Wh- whoa, wi- witches? Awesome,” Bloom said, cold air escaping her lips. It just dawned on her that the girls who attacked her were witches, but her memory was still foggy.

Stella and the others sighed with a smile. 

“Totally not awesome,” Stella said grimly. “One of them froze you to a wall. Can you remember anything else?”

"N-no, I c-can't really remember th-that much except there were th-th- three pe-people… gi-girls I th- think th-they at-attacked me. Th-they wan-wanted s-something," Bloom stammered, shivering. "My he- head hurts."

"Reckon you're sufferin' some memory loss," Tecna guessed. "That's probably from bein' stuck in ice."

"That's gr- great! I can't remember wh- wh- who attacked me, I’m re-really c-cold and kind of damp," Bloom lamented frowning. 

"Let's not focus on that," Flora said, standing up. "Right now we have to get you to the nurse- um… like where are we? Didn't you jump us to Alfea?"

"Um, sort of…" Stella hesitated. "We should be twenty minutes away from Alfea."

"Why didn't you gate us to the school?" Flora asked, exasperated.

"I tried, but it’s kind of hard to focus on a location when ice is being hurled at you while you’re attempting to free somebody from being trapped in bleeding ice!” Stella exclaimed, aggravated. “You try gating under pressure!” 

“Yo- you’re y- yelling right in my f- face,” Bloom stammered, flinching from the loud noise hitting her sensitive ears.

“Sorry, love,” Stella apologized. “Look, Flora, whenever I gate jump in a hurry, it affects my concentration and my landing can be a tad bit off.”

Flora scratched her head. “That’s kind of an understatement.”

Stella groaned. "Can't you just be happy that we’re close to Alfea at least?" 

Bloom flinched again, squinting her eyes.

"Eh, don't sweat it, Stel. We were able to get away from those psychos and that's all that matters," Tecna assured the blonde, slapping her on the back. "Just deal with Bloom and get her out of that ice prison. It ain't healthy bein' covered in it for so long. My cousin spent five hours playing in the snow with no mittens and when that boy got back in the house, he had frostbite for a week."

"Th-thanks for the story, Te- Tecna, th-that makes me-me feel s- so much better," Bloom sarcastically stuttered as more ice melted down her knees. 

Her hands were free, but they felt numb, her whole body felt so numb from the arctic temperature she was in that she could barely move. With the last piece of ice melting away at her feet, the redhead swayed back and forth trying to keep her balance. Musa kept her arms held out ready to catch Bloom, but as the girl’s eyes rolled backward she collapsed forward onto Stella nearly toppling them both over.

"Oh, guess you didn't need to stand there, Musa," Stella said, holding onto Bloom. "You okay, Bloomie?"

"S-so c-cold," Bloom said, continuing to feverishly shake. "Th-th-th-thanks, for ca-catching me."

"You're welcome," Stella said, lowering Bloom to the ground. "Here, sit down for a minute."

"Sh-shouldn't we get back to campus?" the freezing redhead asked.

"Shush, just sit here and relax," Stella hushed, rubbing her back. "We're not in that much of a hurry, right girls?"

"Yeah, we good," Tecna said with a smile. She elbowed Flora in the hip who impatiently had her arms crossed.

"Ow, uh, yeah, fine. It's not like we're missing curfew or anything- ow!" Flora said, before being elbowed in the hip again by Tecna. "What? I was just stating the obvious. She can still relax.”

“Say it betta next time,” Tecna scolded.

"St- Stella, th- those girls… th- they wanted your ring, they wanted me to help them," Bloom paused, still shivering. "I f- fought back; g- guess I c- couldn’t h-hold th- them off f- for long."

"Aww, you did that for me," Stella said, smiling. "You're so brill, but what happened is over with. What's important is that we’re all safe and my ring is safe."

"That's gr-great, but I’m st- still f-freezing,” Bloom said. “I've never been th- this cold before.”

Right now, Bloom was missing the beach vacation after all, the worse it got in California in terms of cold weather was a light flurry, not full-on ice on your body.

Flora calmly walked over to Bloom and squatted down next to her and started rubbing her back. “My warm energy will heat up your body, no worries, my mom taught me this.”

Flora placed the redhead’s head on her chest while humming softly. The other girls stared at her oddly as Bloom’s eyes shifted nervously.

“This isn’t working, but I do feel uncomfortable now,” Bloom said, still shivering. "C-can I ha-have a cu-cup of coffee? C- coffee’s warm.”

"A brisk walk through the forest should help warm you up," Musa said, optimistically. "Guys, we have to keep her as warm as possible until we get her to the nurse."

“Then we probably shouldn’t be sittin’ here,” Tecna mentioned. “Stella, ya think you can gate us closer to Alfea?”

"Afraid not,” Stella answered. “Gate jumping takes a lot out of me. I need a couple… hours at least if I want to do this again," she explained. "If I try again, we'll most likely end up farther away from the school."

Flora placed her hand on Bloom’s head. “If that’s the case, then we need to move fast.”

"I don't th-think I can w- w- walk," Bloom admitted. "My legs are s-s-so c-cold."

"I got this," Tecna smiled. She walked to Bloom, reached underneath her legs, and casually lifted her up. The redhead’s eyes widened as she kept shaking. "I carry lotsa animals and equipment back home," Tecna simply said. "I reckon you're actually lighter than I figured you'd be."

"Gee, th-thanks."

"You're colder than a pole in the middle of December.”

"I'm aware," Bloom replied dryly.

“You know this reminds me of the time my cousin Jeffery was messin’ with the pigs back at my family's ranch. That boy sure was dumber than a sack of shit, he was,” Tecna started walking down the long path towards the school and the others followed suit. “It all started on a hot Monday mornin’.”

“I really don’t need to hear this story,” Bloom said. 

“Well, you’re gonna listen because this is a long walk back to school, fyrecracker,” Tecna said, adjusting the girl's weight under her arms. “Now as I was sayin’.”

Bloom groaned as the other girls resisted the urge to start laughing. This was going to be the longest walk of Bloom’s life.

***

The sun had already set when the five girls finally arrived at the Alfea courtyard. The weakened Bloom was still being carried by Tecna. Fortunately, nobody seemed to be outside.

"The coast is clear," Stella whispered slowly walking across the courtyard.

"Halt!" A voice commanded from behind. Stella spoke too soon. 

The girls froze in fear at the booming voice, too afraid to turn around.

"It's Griselda, isn't it?" Stella asked although she already knew the answer. The group slowly turned around and found a furious deputy headmistress, with Faragonda behind, marching towards them. They all shared the same disappointed sigh.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" the deputy asked, her voice sounding both worried and frustrated. "Where have you been?"

Faragonda, who was walking slowly, met up with her deputy, she asked. “Why hello ladies, lovely night, isn’t it?” 

“Faragonda, you’re ruining my moment,” Griselda said. “It’s obvious they’re arriving on campus way past curfew.”

“I’m aware, but it’s always nice to greet people,” Faragonda said. “And clearly you girls have had a night.”

“Sup, Faragonda,” Bloom waved.

Faragonda waved back with a smile.

Griselda placed a hand on her forehead before demanding, “I want an explanation this instance!” 

"Funny story-" Stella started before being cut-off by Griselda.

"I've heard enough from you for one day," Griselda grumbled, putting her finger up. "One of you other girls, explain. Girl carrying Bloom start talking. Firstly, why are you carrying Bloom?"

"Um dawgone it… well you see Ms. Griselda…" Tecna began. "Bloom was attacked by witches from Cloud Tower. I reckon they wanted to take Stella's ring, so they used her as bait and trapped her in ice, so we had to save her."

"Yep, so we had to use our magic to stop them. Bloom could’ve gotten severely hurt from being trapped in ice if we didn’t. You understand, right?" Stella said, sincerely.

"I guess," the deputy said, her expression darkening. "Did you get their names?"

The girls shook their heads. Griselda narrowed her eyes in suspicion. “Miss. Mason, you were the victim to this attack, do you recall anything that happened?”

"I th- th- think they said their names to me bu-but I don't remember who they were," Bloom said. "It's all a bl-blur."

"Yeah, she was frozen for a long time, so she forgot a lot of what happened," Musa explained. "If it wasn’t for Princess Stella she’d still be trapped there and those witches would’ve hurt us too.”

Stella patted the blue-haired girl on the back, causing her to beam with pride.

“That story sounds good to me,” Faragonda said with a nod.

“I guess,” Griselda said, mulling over the situation. "Very well, then, Faragonda and I will deal with this accordingly.”

“With tea and cookies, of course,” Faragonda said eagerly. 

Griselda rubbed a temple on her forehead. “Yes. For right now, take Miss. Mason to the nurse and then go right to bed." With that finished, the deputy marched off in a huff.

“Ta-ta ladies,” Faragonda said with a polite wave before following behind her angry friend. “Jeanie, wait up.”

“Stop calling me that!” Griselda exclaimed. 

“You love it,” Faragonda giggled.

Stella smiled. "That was easy.”

"Shouldn't we have told her about the ogre?" Musa asked, leaning to the girl's side.

Stella covered Musa's mouth. "Musa, love, we already got off the hook tonight. We can tell her about the rest of that hogwash tomorrow," she explained. "For now, let us proceed to the nurse's office and then relax for the rest of the night."

"Sounds good to me," Tecna agreed with a sigh as they made the long walk to the nurse's office.

***

"You're from _where_?" Flora asked Bloom, who was resting in one of the nurse's beds.

"Earth," Bloom replied, looking out the window. "It's a planet that's not in this realm. That's where I met Stella."

Her body tensed as she expected another set of horrified reactions like the ones she got from Faragonda and Griselda. Instead, the three girls simply stared at her silently with the same plain expression.

"Really?" Tecna said, slouching on a chair. "I've read about that place befo', but to mah memory, there ain't no magic there."

"She's right. They all disappeared centuries ago," Musa confirmed, twirling her hair. "I read somewhere that Earth was a place where magi and non-magi lived together until an evil group attacked the non-magi and then the magi they saw as inferior or the ones who protected the magi. Then a war happened with a bunch of magic fighting and stuff. When the war ended, both non-magi and magi agreed to separate. The non-magi kept earth and the magi there came back here.”

"Basically," Bloom replied. “You guys aren’t freaking out about this?”

“Why would we?” Musa asked with a shrug. “Being from a planet outside the Magix realm is awesome!”

Tecna and Flora nodded in agreement.

“Huh, well this is refreshing,” Bloom said adjusting the small blanket on her body to keep her warm.

“I do have to ask if you’re from Earth, how do you have powers then?" Musa asked.

Now it was time for the girls to stare at Bloom confused.

Bloom groaned. "I don't know," she answered. "All I know is she was being attacked and I was able to make a firewall to stop these imp things from killing us both. And I can't even do that anymore!"

"You're just a beginner, Bloom," Stella reassured the girl, putting a hand on her shoulder. "That's why I wanted you to attend Alfea."

"I thought you wanted me to come because you were afraid to be alone," Bloom joked, gaining a shove from the blonde.

"Shut up," Stella giggled. "You're all right, but let's not get cocky. You should be thanking me for bringing you here. In fact, if it wasn't for me, we all wouldn't have met."

"And fought an ogre," Flora added.

"Along with takin' down some witches," Tecna also added.

“Yeah, and we were awesome at it!” Musa chirped. 

"At least you got to use yours," Bloom said, pouting. "And I could've done without being frozen solid and barely remembering anything."

"Other from that; pretty good day, right?" Stella asked, a small twinkle of hope in her eyes.

Bloom shrugged. "Yeah, I guess."

Stella giggled then wrapped her arms around the redhead to hug her. “I’m honestly just glad you’re alright, bestie.”

"You have three seconds to let go of me," Bloom said, struggling to breathe. The princess quickly released her tight grip around the girl. "And knock it off with the bestie talk.” 

"Not gonna happen, bestie," Stella teased.

Bloom rolled her eyes. "Anyway Stella, you have to tell me, do you have any idea why those witches want your ring so much?"

"I keep telling you I don't know." Stella sighed. "It can gate people and enhance my magic, but lots of artifacts can do that. I don't see why they want mine."

"Accordin' to my research," Tecna said, checking for information on her watch, "It's also a treasure to Solaria, so they might want it for ransom."

Musa looked on thoughtfully. "If that's true, then they're risking a lot by doing so. Stealing a royal artifact can have them face some serious imprisonment time. You sure there isn't anything special about it?"

"If there is, I don't know about it," Stella answered, but when she was met with questionable stares, she added, "What? My father never told me and I only got the ring two years ago."

"Maybe he's waitin' 'til you're powerful enough to control it fully," Tecna suggested.

"I guess but I'd rather not focus on that tonight. I just want to hang out with Bloom and keep her company," Stella said, wrapping her arms around the redhead. "She needs me."

"You’re touching me again," Bloom said, pushing the blonde back. "I'm good. Well, I'm feeling warmer, so that's a start." She brought the blanket up to her shoulders. "Anyways, I thought I should tell you all this in case you guys started asking questions. That way we get a few obstacles out of the way."

"We really appreciate that," Musa said. 

Flora nodded.

"Just don't get yourself kidnapped again,” Tecna said, punching the girl lightly on the arm. “All that fighting took a lot out of me."

The other girls laughed before they spent some more time with Bloom and asked her many questions about Earth and life there. Bloom answered every question she could thoroughly enough until the nurse told the rest of the girls to leave so she could rest.

"One hug before I depart?" Stella asked after the other girls left.

"How about a fist bump?" Bloom asked, holding up her fist. When the princess stared at her in confusion, the redhead laughed. "Just bump your fist against mine. You better hurry. This offer is only valid for tonight."

Stella smiled. "Fist bump, it is," The princess made a fist and held it close to the redheads, knuckle to knuckle, but she wasn't sure what to do next. Bloom laughed again, before finishing off the fist-bump and then pulling back.

"There you go, Princess," Bloom said, relaxing in the bed, "Now leave. I must get my beauty rest."

Stella waved with a smile before leaving the room. Bloom sighed, staring at the ceiling. It had been quite an eventful day for her, although that didn’t feel like too much of a good thing.

***

"Cookie?" Faragonda offered, placing a plate of cookies in front of Griselda's face.

Griselda stared at her with a raised eyebrow. "I told you about my disdain for sweets."

"Oh, I'll get you someday, Jeanie," Faragonda cheerfully said, placing the plate down on her desk. "I was able to contact her and she promised to look into it, but you never know with her. She said everyone was checked in before curfew and none of the girls remember the witches' names. It'll be hard to pinpoint who they were." Faragonda took a sip of her tea. "The only thing we have to go on is that there was a reported commotion in Magix City but everyone involved was long gone when the authorities arrived."

Griselda sighed, scratching her head. "Then there's nothing we can do for now. I will be questioning each one of them tomorrow, though.”

"That's all we can do," Faragonda said. "It's funny, the semester has barely even begun, and we already have a commotion on our hands."

"Funny? More like exasperating," Griselda mumbled. "There is always something. We should come up with a punishment for them breaking the rules, something slimy."

"Jeanie, please, they've been through enough today and just need to rest. They must be exhausted after that fight. At least they didn't blow up another lab." The headmistress chuckled. "That did produce an interesting shade of pink."

"I'm glad you see it that way," Griselda mumbled, sipping her tea. "This is going to be a long semester.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End of Part 2
> 
> Okay, bad news, it'll take a few weeks to a month or two to post Chapter 4: Save the First Dance because writing is a process that takes time and I'm only one woman! Lol. 
> 
> Seriously though, Chapter 4 will be coming out and be posted for your reading pleasure. So just hang in there and wait for me to post it. I sure hope you guys like this story of mine because this is really freaking fun writing this! 
> 
> Thanks for reading, you guys rock and take care.


	7. Chapter 4: Save the First Dance Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for Alfea's Back to School Dance, but Bloom is feeling all but confident after her little excursion with the three witches. Now Bloom has to stop the witches from poisoning the freshman class, ruining the dance, and stealing Stella's powerful solaria ring, does she have it in her to save the day and receive a hero's welcome?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, my dragon I'm back! I'm finally back! You have no idea what I've been going through the past few months, but after getting some proper help and continuing to work on myself I have to say I'm getting better and can FINALLY post the long-awaited chapter god damn 4! I am so sorry for the wait but life hit me like a ton of bricks full force! I think 2020 was crappy for all of us though, but I'm here and getting better and enough about me, let's get into chapter 4 where Bloom will prove if she's a true blue fairy!

**Chapter 4: Save the First Dance**

The first day of classes was something every student dreads, but Bloom was more than nervous. It wasn’t just her first day of classes at a new school; it was her first day at a new school where she would be learning _magic_. She was trying to be as optimistic as possible; it was pretty exciting being at a real magic school, but something felt off. After being attacked the other day, she couldn’t help feeling powerless. She was stuck with the sniffles and felt unsure if she belonged at a place like Alfea or Magix.

She stood by herself, the hood on her jacket obscuring her face. She didn’t want just to walk away, but her heart was beating erratically as the doors to Room 203 opened on their own. Students eagerly began entering the room as the redhead leaned back against the wall, silently contemplating if she herself should set foot into the classroom.

 _“There’s nothing to worry about, love; all first-years are new to this. Just go in there, your head held high and a bit of confidence,”_ she remembered Stella telling her earlier in the morning.

Bloom gulped nervously, stood up straight, and calmly walked into the classroom, which was pretty much like the ones on Earth. Individual desks were spread out across the room. At the head, there was an elegant mahogany desk, presumably for the teacher, and a large blackboard behind it. Sunlight streamed through the large windows, making the room feel bright and warm. Chatter filled the room as various students gossiped about anything and everything, no matter how trivial. 

Bloom sighed with relief as she rested a hand on the desk she’d chosen in the back of the room. She stared at the different students around her. Each girl seemed to have a unique sense of style. Some wore long flowing dresses, overalls, pantsuits or jeans and T-shirts, and others added large colorful hats, long scarves, or sparkling jewelry to their outfits. Although Bloom did receive the occasional glance her way, her black eyeliner and lip gloss didn’t seem to sit well with some of the fairies. 

Bloom placed the largest, most insincere smile on her face she could muster and mockingly waved back at a girl with pink hair, who had been staring at her oddly. She wasn’t going to let that ruin her day. The girl shook before turning back to the girls she was talking to. Bloom giggled, searching the room for her flatmates, as Stella called them, who shared the same morning class with her.

She spotted Flora at the front. The brunette sat atop her desk in a lotus pose as she chatted away with another girl who was wearing a long pink sweater and matching skirt. Bloom surmised Flora was droning on and on about plants as usual. Tecna was standing alone, checking her phone. Bloom wasn’t sure what she was looking at, but the magenta haired girl seemed deep into whatever it was.

Musa wasn’t too far from Bloom. She was talking to some girls as well, displaying the same liveliness as yesterday. How could she be so energetic _this_ early in the morning? 

Once the blue-haired girl spotted her roommate, she waved eagerly, causing the group of girls she was talking to stare back at her. 

Bloom’s eyes shifted before she gave her a faint wave in return. As she was about to take her seat, she noticed a small man wearing a full-on green suit and hat sitting on the desk next to hers. She jolted back in surprise.

He waved at her. He appeared to be the same man from the teacher's presentation. It seemed like the girl sitting there had been replaced by the little man. He had a bemused smirk on his face as he watched the students, intrigued as they slowly realized his presence. The students’ chatter began to die down and turned into an awkward silence.

“I thought it'd take yer forever to notice me,” he said, laughing. “Top o' th’ mornin' ter ya, everyone. It's good to see fresh, new faces for this year an' since it befalls on me to kick off th’ new school year, I'd first like to properly introduce myself, I am Professor Maize Wizgiz, your teacher of metamorphosis. Any questions before I start my lesson?”

The students remained silent for a moment. A girl with wavy brown hair raised her hand.

“The lass over there in the purple shirt,” Wizgiz said, pointing at her.

“Uh, thank you, I, uh, I was just wondering when did you get here?” the student asked, nervously.

“I've been ‘ere the whole time; you just didn't know it was me,” Wizgiz explained, amused. “And by the look on ye faces I’s can see that none o’ you noticed me. I was disguised as one o’ ye girls.”

Wizgiz snapped his fingers and transformed into a slender girl, who was much taller than the professor, with long red hair and the same outfit. The students gasped, taking a few steps back causing Wizgiz to smile. “Before, I was an average leprechaun. Now, with an instant flick of my fingers, I can look just like one of you girls. To be fair though, this took years of practice for myself to learn. I can also transform into people you've met before.” 

The professor snapped his fingers again and suddenly transformed into Griselda in front of the students' eyes. The students gasped in shock, with a couple ducking underneath their desks. “Don't ye worry, I'm not really the Queen o’ Demerits. De beauty o’ magic is dat you can always go back to bein’ you.”

For a last time, Wizgiz snapped again, reverting to his original form.

Musa eagerly applauded, followed by the rest of the students.

“Thanks, but I am the teacher o’ transformation for a reason. Enough of that though, we 'av much to do today. Transformation can be a pure complicated task, but th’ toughest part would be-”

“Oh, oh, oh I know th' answer to this one!” Tecna raised her hand.

“Yes, the eager magenta ‘aired girl upfront,” Wizgiz said, pointing at her.

“The toughest part about transformin' is tryin' to maintain concentration,” Tecna answered with confidence.

“Somethin' like dat, it's not de 'ardest part though,” Wizgiz said, causing Tecna to pout. “Tryin' to change yerself into somethin' you're not ain’t easy. Bein' a male leprechaun can cause trouble if I try to transform and focus too much on that nothin' will happen, but with little practice, I don't focus on dat. Any other suggestions?”

No other student raised their hand.

“No? Okay, well de answer is a bit less impressive, but the toughest part about transformation is ‘oldin’ the new form. Combined with changing your weight, shape, and form, ‘oldin' dat with your magic can only last for so long before ye become exhausted. It takes a long while to keep the form and in certain cases ye can hurt yourself. That's why most people go to professional alters to become taller, shorter, bigger, smaller, get wings, horns, or somethin' like dat,” Wizgiz explained. “Since I'm the kind teacher, we'll start out with de basics.” He snapped his fingers, causing silver hand mirrors to appear in each girl's hand.

Bloom blinked twice, stunned at the sudden weight of the mirror in her hand.

“Today you’ll warm up with one o’ the simplest of exercises: changin’ yer hair. Ye should all be able to breeze through this one. Just stare into yer mirror, focus on your power and think about changin' your hair into a different color, growin’ it out, or whateva ye like.”

Once Wizgiz named the assignment almost every student started trying it. 

Bloom, on the other hand, sighed. She wasn’t expecting something this complex on her first day of class. She stared at her reflection before taking a deep breath, then closed her eyes in concentration while focusing all her mental strength to change her hair from red to purple. After a few minutes, she slowly opened her eyes only to see her normal curly bright red hair.

“Why did I think that would work?” she mumbled, feeling aggravated at this point and looked around, hoping she wasn't the only one failing.

To her surprise, the degree of success varied with each student. Some hair was standing on all ends, falling out or moving on its own. Tecna, along with a couple other girls, made their hair change different colors rapidly, from green to red to blue to black to brown with white spots. Others, like Musa, had changed the length of their hair. The blue-haired girl was going at a slow pace, but this wasn't an issue for her. She grabbed one of her now waist-length pigtails and wrapped it around her neck while bouncing eagerly. Flora, who was sitting in the lotus position atop her desk, was meditating calmly as her hair stood up in the air changing colors like Tecna's, but at a slower pace.

Bloom chuckled at the surrealism of it all, but couldn't help feeling inferior to everybody else. At least they could do the trick, she couldn't even change the color of her hair. She looked back down to her mirror and tried again. This time she scrunched up her face while strongly focusing all her willpower to change her hair color, but only gave herself a headache.

After a couple of minutes, she heard a quizzical voice ask, “How's yer progress goin’?”

The redhead jolted, nearly dropping her mirror as she noticed Wizgiz standing beside her. “You again?”

“Yeah, I’m pretty good at sneakin’ up on people,” Wizgiz said with a sly smile. “Now I see you’re havin’ trouble here.”

“That’s an understatement,” Bloom replied, rubbing her forehead.

“Don't ye worry, lass. It's only the first day, if at first you don't succeed, be patient and try again,” the leprechaun gave her a reassuring smile as he patted the redhead on the leg before racing over to assist a girl whose hair was trying to attack another girl's hair.

Bloom pondered his advice for a moment before taking a deep breath. Closing her eyes again, she mentally thought of having purple highlights at the bottom of her hair. That was simple enough, she didn’t want her hair falling out or attacking her, just purple highlights. Bloom could feel a slight tingle going down her head and once she opened her eyes, she quickly noticed the dark purple decorating different strands of her hair, but not the tips. It looked hideous, but as she stared at a strand a smile came across her face.

***

Once classes had ended for the day, the students of Alfea were either in their dorms, getting dinner or touring the school. Stella was headed back to her dorm to get some rest and relaxation after a long day of relearning the same courses, along with a few new etiquette classes for children of nobility.

She silently walked down the brightly lit hallway, a shining grin on her face as a brunette girl wearing a white mini dress prattled on about the latest gala she attended over the summer. Stella wasn’t paying much attention.

“And long story short, that's how my bodyguard became my boyfriend,” she said, ending her anecdote.

“Huh?” Stella said, snapping back to the conversation. “Uh, I mean, that’s great to hear, hun.”

“I know! It’s so fabulous being me.” the brunette flipped her hair. “One night-”

Stella interrupted the girl by laughing politely as she reached for the door handle to her flat, “I’m sorry to cut you off, darling, but I must rest. A princess needs her alone time, you understand?” she said with enough elegance that the girl simply nodded in response, too charmed to be offended. “Cheerio, sweetie.”

The brunette waved faintly before walking away, humming to herself. Once the girl was gone, Stella quickly ushered herself into the room and shut the door behind her. Her eyes shifted around the room for a second to make sure no one was around, then after a second, her smile dropped into a frown. She let out an exhausted huff while rubbing her cheeks. “Bleeding omega, my face hurts.”

Stella sashayed over to the kitchen, her skirt swaying around her hourglass hips as she went over the refrigerator. Opening the fridge door, her eyes immediately focused on a small glass bottle labeled ‘Sunni’s Peach Pomegranate Smoothie’. She grabbed the bottle, threw off the cap, and took a long swig from it like she was drinking from a beer bottle. 

As the flavor settled on her tongue she mumbled, “I needed that.” She heaved another exhausted sigh. “It’s hard keeping that smile up all day, but I must as I am the royal princess to the Davenwood Dynasty. Nobody is here to hear me say that… bummer. And I’m talking to myself. Such is life.”

Stella took another swig from her bottle.

“Stella, is that you?” the blonde heard a voice call to her from the bathroom. 

Stella looked around the room. “Yes, who wants to know?”

“It’s me, Princess,” the voice called back, sounding somewhat aggravated.

“Bloom, it’s you,” Stella exclaimed, relaxing. It was her Earth roommate. “Have you survived your first day of classes?”

“Sort of,” Bloom answered somberly. “Yours?”

“Don't even get me started," Stella groaned, walking over to the bathroom door while still holding her juice bottle. She stood at the doorway, ready to vent until the now purple-haired girl opened it, stepping out with a somber expression. "Hey love, what's wrong?"

"Nothing.”

"Did you have a rubbish day as well?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Bloom replied.

“Come here, darling,” Stella cooed, then brought the girl into a hug. Bloom groaned for a second until she felt herself melt into it. Perhaps this was what she needed. "Your hair's on the violet side this afternoon. Did you do it yourself?"

"Sort of," Bloom replied bluntly. 

"Well, can I guess?” Stella asked. Bloom shrugged in response. “I’ll take that as a yes!” The blonde tapped her chin while looking over Bloom's hair and noticed it was very damp with a strong fruity aroma. "Let’s see, Wizgiz assigned the class to do a hair alteration spell, said it was easy, takes patience, that bunch of tosh. It worked, but you have no bloody idea of how to reverse it?" Bloom sighed in affirmation as her head dropped. "And you thought washing it out would work?" she asked, grabbing a damp strand of the girl's hair. "Strawberry scented shampoo, ace."

“How’d you figure it out?”

“My last flatmate was an utter mess with that spell too,” Stella said, confidently. Bloom stared at her with a raised eyebrow. “I also… might have gone through something similar last year as well. My hair smelled like bubble gum for a week.”

“Bubblegum?”

“It’s a long story,” Stella replied, giggling. “The hair assignment isn’t that easy for beginners, but it’s basically a rite of passage. Just takes a lot of practice.”

 _Practice, practice, practice. Princess here is just trying to make you feel better, but you know she’s lying. You couldn't even stop three witches with your fire powers. You can't even remember who attacked you. What makes you think you can master a simple hair spell?_ Bloom admonished herself.

“I don’t know if I believe that,” Bloom admitted aloud.

“I’ll show you how to change it back, let’s head to your room,” Stella said, placing her juice on the counter and then throwing her arm around the girl’s shoulder. “We’ll get it done in a flash.”

“Um, I’m not going in there for a reason,” Bloom replied. “Flora has been whispering to her plants for the last fifteen minutes.”

“I’ve seen weirder.” Stella shrugged. “Now, come with me, we have hair to change back.”

“I don’t want to go, I don’t want to go,” Bloom begged, being dragged into her room by her arm.

Stella ignored her bestie’s pleas.

As the two entered the room, much like Bloom said, they noticed Flora crouched down at the desk where her plants were. Whispers came from the girl as if she was chatting with the plants, and the weird - well, _weirder -_ thing was that they were talking back. Flora turned towards Bloom and Stella, waved at them, then went right back to talking to her Venus flytrap.

“I want to ask what she’s doing, but I’m kinda afraid to,” Bloom admitted. 

“Still not the strangest thing I’ve seen from a flatmate,” Stella repeated without sympathy, walking over to Bloom’s bed. “Last year, my flatmate, Missy, jumped on the bed the night before a test because she thought it was good luck.”

“ _She’s_ talking to a flytrap,” Bloom whispered through gritted teeth, pointing to the brunette.

“Would you stop focusing on the damn plant girl and sit down,” Stella demanded, patting the empty spot on Bloom’s bed. “Before we start on the hair, tell me about your day.”

“It sucked. I was actually happy when some of my hair changed colors, but after a few seconds, all my hair got frizzy and then turned purple. I tried changing it back before the bell rang, but I couldn’t and I didn’t feel like asking that Wizgiz guy for help. I wanted to just make it through the rest of my classes and then fix it at the end of the day, but I could hear all these girls talking about me. I wasn’t even that close to them, but I could hear every single snide comment.”

“What did you hear?”

“'What’s wrong with her hair?’, ‘Why’s she walking around like that’, ‘She’s dressed so weird.’, ‘There’s some other weirdos like her here’.” Bloom put her hands behind her head, groaning.

"It's best to just ignore twats like that," Stella advised her. “They feed off of judging others.”

"I'm usually good at that, but it just kept happening in every class I was in! Oh, and the rest of my classes weren't any better. Botany class was boring, math-a-mancy, which I can barely say, was confusing, and artwork class… actually wasn’t that bad. But I still have four more classes tomorrow that I am _not_ ready for. Then when I was eating lunch, Griselda dragged me out of the cafeteria and grilled me for an hour to see if I remembered anything about my attackers. I kept telling her I couldn’t remember anything, but it felt like she thought I was lying.”

“Yeah, Griselda is like that,” Stella said. “I think she ‘grilled’ all of us, as you put it if that makes you feel any better.”

“I just… I don't feel like being reminded of that again.” Bloom rubbed her eyes in frustration. “I would've been stuck there longer if Faragonda hadn't stepped in. When classes were finally over I came back here and you know the rest."

Stella sighed, knowing she had to choose her words carefully. "Okay… you had a rough day. Well pretty few rough days, honestly. I know you weren’t expecting this to happen when you first came to Magix,” she said. “I can assure you that this is just a minor misstep and I’ll do what I can to help you. Starting with your hair.”

“You’re going to help me?” The hope in Bloom’s voice was unmistakable. If it meant she didn’t have to walk around with purple hair tomorrow as well, she was all for it.

"Of course!" Stella said, grabbing the girl’s arm. "All right, now first things first, changing your hair back to normal takes more than just focus. It also deals with a positive self-image which means you need to quit your moping." 

“I’m pretty much a perpetual mope,” Bloom joked with a small smile. “But I can try to be happy for a few minutes.”

“That’s the spirit, and if it doesn’t work now, don’t worry, it’s not the end of the world,” Stella advised, patting the girl on the back.

“I can’t just ignore this Stella, there’s a saying on Earth: ‘Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today’,” Bloom responded.

“Where I come from, we have no such expression, and we're all much more relaxed,” Stella jested.

“ _Stella_ ,” Bloom scolded. “Don’t make me ask Flora for help.”

Both girls turned to Flora who was still whispering to her plants. Whatever conversation she was having seemed to be deep.

“Harsh. Okay, sorry,” Stella apologized. "Trust me, this is going to work. I've figured out how to accomplish this spell without ruining your hair. All you have to do is stare into this mirror and concentrate-” With a wave of her hand, a small hand mirror appeared in Stella’s hand and she passed it over to the surprised Bloom. “-Deep in your mind you felt insecure and worried. You were probably confident at first, but when you tried to change it back, you became doubtful, unsure if the magic would work in reverse, which in turn caused you to think about purple again. Then when your hair turned into this mess, you became even more unsure of yourself which in turn caused the current color we have now to stay. Am I right?"

“N- no,” Bloom lied quickly. “It’s probably because I have a bit of cold, you know, from being frozen like a popsicle yesterday?”

Stella shook her head incredulously at the redhead’s claim. “Right. While colds and feeling tired can have an effect on magic, I’m not so sure that’s why it’s still purple.”

“Well, it is,” Bloom hissed in defense. Stella put her hands up, giggling, “Can we just focus on changing my hair back, please?”

“Of course, although, you still have the sniffles? Feeling knackered? Because, if so we can try again tomorrow,” Stella questioned with a mischievous smile on her face.

“I’m fine,” Bloom grumbled.

“All right then, now as Wizgiz told you, it’s all about self-image or, y’know, not feeling under the weather,” Stella said sarcastically, playing around with Bloom’s hair.

Bloom swatted her hand away as she stared angrily into the mirror. 

“Don’t focus on the purple, don’t focus on the concern that it won’t change back, just focus your mind on the curly red hair you had this morning.”

“Okay,” Bloom took a deep breath.

“Just one last thing,” Stella added, bringing some of Bloom’s hair to her back, "A little trick I use when performing spells like this is imagining my best hair day. Everything is perfect, the sun is shining, my skirt is free of wrinkles, and my heels fit perfectly. Think about your best hair day and how great you felt and that might work."

"My best hair day…" 

Bloom cracked her knuckles before scrunching up her face, imagining a good hair day. She thought about her curly, messy red hair down at her shoulders. She pictured herself at the park, drawing under her favorite tree spot. Everything was peaceful and quiet. As she kept focusing on the day, the unsightly purple highlights began to fade.

"You're doing it. Keep going!" Stella urged her.

Bloom was doing well until she remembered Stella was watching. Her heart began to beat quickly as her bright sun turned into storm clouds. Raindrops fell from the dark sky, soaking the girl. The ink from her sketch melted down the paper. Bloom shook her head, frustrated as the storm got worse with wind storms and thunder. Once she reached her limit, a large puff of smoke engulfed her as flashing sparks erupted from the haze, causing Bloom to shriek in pain.

Stella waved the smolder away while coughing. "Didn't expect that to happen. Are you all right?"

As the smoke cleared from around Bloom's head, her face was unscathed, but her hair wasn't so lucky. The purple was gone, but now her hair stood completely in spikes around her entire head. Her eyes widened as she stared at her new style.

It went from bad to worse real quick. Stella covered her mouth in shock, hiding her laughter as well.

Bloom's eyes shifted towards the giggling blonde then back to the mirror. She held her breath attempting to resist the urge to yell while repeating subconsciously. _Don't freak out. You can handle this. You can handle this. You can handle this…. You can… you can't handle this!_

"Shit!" Bloom swore.

“What is going on?” Flora asked, finally noticing the commotion and turning away from her startled plants. 

"I’m helping Bloom change her hair color," Stella said, full of pride, and gestured towards Bloom whose face was still bright red.

"And failing at it!" Bloom exclaimed, struggling to pull her hair down. "Thanks to your brilliant 'advice', my hair went from purple to… this! What's next, it sets on fire?"

"That would make a good MyTube video," Flora said, snickering. 

“I’m going to ignore the fact that MyTube exists here, and just say, it is not the time for jokes, Poison Ivy!” Bloom shouted. “Why does this keep happening to me!”

“Poison Ivy?” Flora questioned, tilting her head in confusion. “I like that.”

“Bloom, you're not paying attention!” Stella scolded. “You're not concentrating enough!

“That’s it!” Bloom seethed turning to Flora. “Would you help me instead?”

“I’d be glad to-” Flora started before Stella jumped in front of her.

“Nuh-uh, I’m training her, and we’re going to get this!” Stella cut in. “You can trust me, darling.”

“No I can’t, _darling_ ,” Bloom mocked. “Maybe I should just keep it this way. I can make this look work, right?”

Stella’s eyes shifted away from the spiky-haired redhead while Flora shook her head.

“I’m… so… screwed,” Bloom said through gritted teeth. 

“That’s why we’re trying it again, now breathe. Okay, breathe,” Stella began inhaling and exhaling to encourage her.

Flora followed suit and although Bloom could feel the fire burning in her chest she went along to calm her nerves or else she felt like she might explode from the pressure. 

“Let… me… try… again,” Bloom said slowly. “Best hair day…”

“Or, or, think of a relaxing hobby and go from there. When I was doing the assignment today I thought about being in my mother’s garden as she planted saplings in a fresh bed of dirt. The smell of the pansies, the freshness of the soil, the comforting sound of birds chirping. That’s always nice.”

“Um, okay, that does actually help,” Bloom said, somewhat surprised. She pictured herself in art class back on Earth with a paintbrush in hand. The blank canvas had been coated in a white paint before she started, and fresh paints were in front of her. She had a campfire in mind. As her hand swept against the canvas, the smell of paints hit her nose. Unlike the flowers, the smell of paint wasn’t strong on her nose, it made her feel… relaxed. As the image materialized in the painting, Bloom’s heart stopped racing. She could feel everything coming together. A second later she opened her eyes.

Flora and Stella stared at her with soft, matching smiles on their faces. “What?”

“Look,” Stella said in wonder, holding up the silver mirror. 

Bloom gazed into it and sighed in relief as her hair had returned to its normal, unruly red. Once, she had fought to put it into a ponytail and had cursed its disobedience, but now she was only joyful to see it fall around her shoulders.

She’d done it. Her technically first official magic spell. 

“Told you you could do it,” Stella said with a wink. “Mostly thanks to me.”

“Hey, I helped too,” Flora interjected. “You’re welcome.”

“Let’s just agree, you both did your part,” Bloom reasoned, sitting down on her bed. As if on cue, Kiko, who had been napping in the living room entered the room, spotting his owner he let out a soft meow and walked over to her. 

“I really need you right now,” Bloom scooped the orange cat off the floor and started stroking his fur to calm her down while also relaxing Kiko. “This has been a really tough few days.”

“It gets better with time,” Stella reassured, sitting back down next to Bloom. “You just need to practice more and stop worrying about the negatives and what-ifs. You have to focus on the positives.”

“There’s so much to take in.” Bloom kept stroking Kiko’s fur.

"I totally get that," Flora said. She turned Bloom’s desk chair to face the two fairies and then sat down as well. This seemed to be a good opportunity to try and bond a little with Bloom. “When my powers kicked in at seven I had to instantly learn all this crazy stuff about my powers and I was just like, ‘I thought it’d be less complicated’.”

“I can’t believe I’m going to agree with you, but here we are.” Bloom cocked her head to the side. "You already seem to know a lot about magic, though."

"Well, I'm more versatile in botany, but yeah, I've been educated in the art of magic even before my powers fully started. Living in Linphea can be, like, very dangerous, so magi are taught at an early age to hone their spark," Flora explained. "I may not be a royal or anything like that, but becoming a powerful fairy is something I've for sure dreamed of. It'd be totally awesome knowing I had the power to protect my people and stuff.”

"Is that why you chose Alfea?" Bloom asked.

"Yep, like ya know this place gives me a lot of opportunities that Linphea's universities couldn't teach me. Not to mention most focused on combat fighting and less on using magic for botany… plus my parents wanted me to go to the best college out there and like, ya know, this was one of them." 

"Cool,” Stella said, adjusting herself on the bed. “Wanna know why a regal princess such as myself is attending Alfea?”

Bloom stared at Flora, then Kiko, who seemed to share the same look of indifference. 

“I feel like even if we said no, you would still tell us, so go ahead,” she said, deadpan.

Stella smiled indulgently. "I used to be homeschooled and went to public institutions, but when I got to the age to attend a university, my instant decision was Alfea. I plan on becoming a skilled, powerful, and loved Queen of Solaria like my mum and her mum before her. But becoming queen isn’t an easy process and Alfea was the best that I knew to attend. I don’t want to just be married to some simple-minded prince and be known for clubbing and being gorgeous, fashion-savvy, and universally admired. I have servants to tell me that." She paused for a moment, biting her bottom lip. "I just want to show everyone I’m capable of leading a planet. I want to defend my planet and subjects from evil and if I can, reunite estranged lovers … starting with my parents."

Bloom’s eyes widened in surprise at the last part, but she did not mention it. She was filled with a newfound respect for her friend. Instead, she said, "that's pretty admirable, princess."

“I know,” Stella said, jumping back to her jovial tone. Bloom was unsure how to respond after that, except to smile with a chuckle. 

“I wish my choice to attend Alfea was that well thought out,” Bloom admitted. “I just wanted to learn how to use magic… didn’t expect to go through this much hell in just four days.”

“Hey, don’t try to trivialize your decision to attend such an amazing school. I still think it’s strange you’re from a place that has no magic, but it’s not like you could ignore your new powers,” Stella reassured. 

Bloom nodded, but inside her head, she didn’t feel like she was ready to stay in Magix. “I can’t even do those fire tricks anymore; if I could I would’ve defeated those witches.” 

Stella rubbed Bloom’s back and Flora frowned in sympathy. Even Kiko seemed to notice as he propped his paws on the somber redhead’s left shoulder. He purred as he softly rubbed his head against her cheek. Bloom grabbed him calmly and placed him on her shoulder immediately scratching his head with a small smile on her face.

"If it makes you feel better, transforming is super easy to do," Flora said. "It’s all about confidence. You have to want it and be ready for it. You don’t have to do any fancy poses or shout your name or something silly like that. You just gotta have it in your heart. Once you’re ready, your body will feel like it’s floating, but in a good way and then a glow comes around you. You’ll feel like you’re going through time and space, but in a few seconds, just like that,” Flora snapped. “You’re in a fabulous battle outfit."

“Battle outfit? You mean the thing Stella was in?" Bloom asked with a raised eyebrow. "I'm going to have one of those silly outfits, too?" Just the thought of it made her cringe.

"Yup, battle outfits come with the fairy form," Flora said leaning in the chair. “You just can’t have so much doubt, remember that confidence is key, know you have your spark and you can kick butt with it.”

“Okay… but will I be covered in glitter?” Bloom questioned making her flatmates laugh.

Stella nudged her with her elbow. “You’ll learn to love it.”

"We’ll see about that," Bloom said, going underneath her covers. She adjusted the pillow then rested her head against it. Kiko cuddled up next to her. "I just want to go to bed now."

"We'll leave you alone to rest." Stella grabbed Flora's arm, pulled her up from the chair, and led her out of the room.

The brunette stared at her, confused as to why she was being removed from her own room. "Wait a minute, this is my room too," she protested.

"Come on, love, she’s had a rough day. She needs her rest and she won’t get it if we’re still talking to her," Stella whispered. "You can come look at my new outfits and talk about that bot-any stuff."

"It's botany," Flora corrected, and Bloom couldn’t help but chuckle at the mispronunciation. "Fine, I'll leave." Looking back at Bloom one last time before leaving, she said, “Remember, Bloom, confidence is key.” Then she left and as an afterthought called over her shoulder, “Oh, and don’t burn my plants while I’m gone.”

"See you in the morning," Stella said as she left the room and closed the door behind her.

Bloom muttered something unintelligible under her covers as her eyes slowly closed.

***

Morning arrived and greeted the students of Alfea with a bright, shining sun and chirping birds. All of the faculty and students were gathered in the dining hall eating breakfast. The dining hall was a spacious room with several grand, green pillars, and tables, some for two people, four people, or lined together with burgundy seats at each table. At the end of the hall, close to the kitchen, was a long table with a white tablecloth and large, fancy wood crafted chairs for the staff.

Chef Sfoglia, a large, impatient-looking man, along with a few other lunch staff members, were busy handing out breakfast, gooseberry crumble griddle cakes, apricot & honey breakfast tarts, and a small bowl of grits.

Stella, Tecna, and Musa sat together at one of the lined-up tables, saving two seats for Flora and Bloom, who were running late.

Two girls were about to take the two empty seats until Stella laid both her long legs over the seats. With her arms crossed, she told them, “These seats are taken.”

The two girls stared at the blonde princess, unsure if she was joking or not. Stella casually waved her hand away to show she wasn't kidding. Both girls stormed off to search for another table, sucking their teeth at the princess in disrespect. Stella merely shrugged it off.

“Where are those gals?” Tecna asked, scanning around the dining hall for Bloom and Flora. “Griselda ain’t gonna be happy.”

“They weren't up this morning, so they probably slept in,” Musa said, nibbling on a tart. “I know Flora was up really late studying.”

Stella giggled, knowing the girl was actually talking to her plants before heading off to bed.

“Bloom was beyond knackered,” Stella added before stuffing her mouth full of griddle cakes but frowned. They just weren’t the same compared to Vanessa’s. “Griselda’s going to mark them late if they don’t show up in the next…”

“Two minutes,” Tecna supplied, checking her watch.

“You have a watch!” Musa exclaimed, staring at the girl's scarred arm adorned with a digital watch. Musa seemed to be surprised at the prospect of anyone using a watch.

Tecna chuckled, ruffling the blue-haired girl's hair. “Of course, I do, sho’t stack. Also, I find it mighty kind of you to grab them food before they get here.”

“It’s the least I could do,” Musa chirped, readjusting the plates in the empty seats. The chef had been unsure why she needed three, but since Musa was so friendly about it, he let her take them without protest. “They’re going to be so happy. I can already see their bright smiling faces.”

Meanwhile, Bloom and Flora frantically raced down the empty halls, trying to reach the dining hall on time. Well, Bloom was as she skied around another corner while Flora slowly trailed behind her, walking as if she was an old woman.

Bloom checked behind her shoulder to see Flora slowly catching up to her. “Hurry up!”

“Bloom, I’ve learned something living in the Magix realm, and it’s that slow and steady wins the race.”

“That’s from a fairy tale - an earth fairy tale!” Bloom rushed over and yanked the girl’s arm to quicken her pace. 

“It’s going to be okay, late is late,” Flora reasoned slowly, trying to match Bloom’s quick strides so she wouldn’t be dragging her feet on the ground.

“Flora, speed it up!” Bloom ordered, ignoring the brunette.

The sound of the bell went off a second later as the girls arrived at the front doors of the cafeteria. The teachers had already taken their seats and the Chef had served the last plate. Bloom and Flora quietly snuck in, searching for empty seats, but the room was filled. Stella spotted them and gave them a quick wave to come over to her table.

Covering their faces, they stealthily went over to the two empty seats with Stella, Musa, and Tecna. Bloom and Flora were about to sigh with relief until Griselda shouted, “Bloom Mason and Flora Rose, you're one minute late. Next time, arrive on time instead of sneaking in.”

Snickers filled the room as students turned towards them. Bloom and Flora kept their heads down in shame.

Musa slid the two untouched breakfast plates towards them while whispering, “I was able to grab some food for you.”

“Thanks,” both girls said in unison, looking over the dishes.

Bloom examined her food, apprehensive as to what half of the stuff was and unsure what she might be eating. She wasn't entirely sure if any of it was safe for her to eat, but since it was the closest thing to the food she didn't mind.

“It's about bleedin’ time, what took you guys so long?” Stella asked.

“We overslept,” Bloom answered. “Flora woke up first. Which it makes sense why I overslept; Flora, why did you?”

“I had to put Claudia to sleep before my head hit the pillow,” Flora casually answered, before sipping her tea.

“Claudia’s a plant, ain’t she?” Tecna asked, although she already knew the answer. Bloom rolled her eyes with a nod.

“I would’ve appreciated you not dumping water in my face, by the way,” Bloom said to Flora, chewing on a bland griddlecake. After a second, she grabbed a bottle of pink liquid, possibly syrup, and doused the cake with it.

“She’s totally exaggerating, it was a few drops from my watering can,” Flora replied with a hint of smugness. “Such a drama queen.”

Bloom grumbled under her breath as she shoved a spoonful of grits into her mouth.

“That's why I make sure to wake up early in the mo'nin' right when that sun is risin'. Gives me plenty of time to get ready,” Tecna said haughtily.

“When her alarm clock goes off, it’s the sound of a rooster,” Musa said giggling. “I love it.”

“That’s why you’re my flatmate,” Tecna said, smiling at the blue-haired girl. She then turned back towards Bloom and Flora. “By the way, watch out for that deputy headmistress Griselda, I heard it's pretty easy to get on her bad side.”

The five girls glanced over at the bitter woman, who was busy eating her breakfast while reading off her clipboard, looking frustrated. Bloom had never seen a person look that angry while eating.

“That’s an understatement,” Stella observed, resting her chin in her hand. “You could breathe the wrong way and get on her bad side.”

The girls laughed. 

While the dining common was buzzing with the sound of chatter, Faragonda rose from her seat and tapped a spoon against her drinking glass. Silence slowly fell over the hall as everyone turned towards the woman, but Griselda wasn’t pleased with the few students still talking. She rose from her chair and let out a loud, ear-piercing whistle, causing any students to end their conversations.

“Thank you, Griselda,” Faragonda winced, trying to get the ringing out of her ear. “Good morning, young ladies. It's such a pleasure to see all your bright, chipper faces again. I have a very exciting announcement to make: As most of you already know is tradition at Alfea, we are kicking off the new school year with a formal party to honor our new and returning students: The Back to School Gala! This fantastic party will take place tonight and a delicious buffet will be prepared by Chef Sfoglia and the kitchen staff. Our special guests will be the boys from Red Fountain School for Heroics and Bravery-”

Faragonda was cut off when the dining hall erupted with cheers and excited chattering. The white-haired woman simply smiled at the excited buzz in the room. 

The deputy headmistress, Griselda didn’t seem to agree as she let out another shrill whistle causing the students to go silent again. “Hey, Faragonda, your Headmistress, is speaking about very important news. Show a little respect!”

“Thank you again, Griselda,” Faragonda smiled. “Where was I… oh yes, the students of Red Fountain will be in attendance, along with personalized gifts for each girl as usual, and you’ll each be giving them gift bags with special objects handpicked by the upperclassmen. We hope you'll be friendly hostesses to our heroes and make them feel right at home.”

“But not too friendly, I don't want a repeat of last year,” Griselda interrupted with a serious tone. “Chaperones will be on watch so don’t even try to sneak in potions or intoxicating drinks.”

Faragonda cleared her throat, making Griselda shrink back, blushing. “We trust that you can follow these rules for tonight,” she paused for a moment, turning towards the deputy headmistress and giving her a meaningful look. The woman groaned in response. “In addition, every first-year student will be assigned a specific task on setting up the gala, so I'm calling on all your creative minds to turn that ordinary banquet hall into a festive ballroom for tonight. Griselda will be handing out the envelopes of your assigned task and schedule in a few. You will all also be given a suitable amount of money to buy supplies and a dress. And please don't waste all the money on one dress, save whatever you have leftover if you’re not tasked with buying supplies. We’ve run into this problem too many times.”

Before Griselda could bark out another order, Faragonda placed her hand in front of the Deputy Headmistress before saying, “I can’t stress this enough, do not just use the money to buy one dress or you will receive nothing but demerits from my strict cohort. And you _don’t_ want that.”

Most girls seemed to agree as the room fell silent with some of them nodding in response.

Bloom chuckled at the thought of the girls wasting all their school money on extravagant dresses, but conveniently forgetting to buy supplies. 

“This’ll be such a fun evening, I’ll have you know I met my first husband at this gala,” Faragonda said with a dreamy expression. She quickly sobered.“But that will have to be a story for another time. As per tradition, at the end of the night, every student, both here and Red Fountain, will be cleaning up the banquet hall.” Once Faragonda said that the dining hall echoed with resounding groans from the students. The white-haired lady giggled. “That response never ceases to change.”

“Such bollocks,” Stella grumbled.

“Don’t be upset, classes will be canceled for today to give you plenty of time to plan and shop for tonight. I truly do hope we can work as a team to make sure tonight will be a splendiferous and enchanting Back to School Gala.”

Once Headmistress Faragonda sat down finishing her speech, the room erupted with cheers as the excitement of the dance began to set in. Musa especially seemed to be bouncing in her seat with glee. Bloom silently munched on her breakfast until Musa grabbed her and shook her by the shoulders.

“Can you believe it, a dance? This is going to be thrilling!” Musa beamed. 

Bloom gave her a small smile then looked around; everyone seemed excited, even most of the faculty, excluding Griselda whose shoulders had slouched at the end of the announcement. First year girls began racing over to the faculty table to receive their task. Bloom finished off the rest of the tart and grits, wiped off the extra crumbs on her mouth, then headed over to the lunch table to receive her task as well.

***

Deep in the forest, on a dark and barren cliff stood the massive structure of the Cloud Tower Institute for Witches and Warlocks, one of the few co-ed universities for witches on Magix. It was a massive, twisting castle, a purple spire towering over the surrounding landscape. It looked like the school had grown from the cliff itself. The architecture's bending so defied physics that it made people question how the building stayed stable, or if the builder had been on drugs constructing it. Inside the very top of the structure was a massive amphitheater with rows and rows of seats, rising higher than the other, surrounding a tall mahogany podium.

This early morning, the collective students were ordered to gather there after breakfast for an important meeting. The students were busy chatting amongst each other when suddenly a cloud of black smoke seeped from behind the curtain and slowly made its way towards the podium. Talking started to die down as the students noticed its appearance. Some of the students felt a shiver go through their spines when yellow eyes snapped open from within the smoke and the presence of their headmistress took form: The great and fearless Esmeralda Griffin.

She was a very tall woman with pale pinkish white skin. Her dark purple hair was pulled up into a pointy hat with twin lilac strands on each side that matched an ankle-length silk dress, which hugged her thin frame, and a high white collar.

Another person soon followed behind her but decided to walk out instead of coming out in a puff of smoke. She was Headmistress Griffin's second in command, deputy headmistress and the resident Hexing and Alchemy teacher Maureen Ediltrude. She was a head taller than Griffin, with the same thin frame as her and a frailer appearance, but with a will stronger than steel. Her hair was black with white streaks on the sides and down the middle of her steep widow's peak. She had on a damson suit with a large V- neck, and tight pants that split open past her knees and high heels.

Not far behind her was her sister, the teacher of Mayhem and Manipulation, Morag Zarathustra. She was much shorter than her sister and curvier; she had on a long, teal turtleneck sweater with a light purple belt across her waist, teal pants, and amethyst boots. Her blue hair was cut to a choppy bob style that didn't cover her face. Her skin was tighter and more jagged than her sisters’, and a long purple scar went down her right eye, which made her looming presence even more frightening.

Beside her walked the elderly teacher of potions, a warlock named Saul Bittersmoke. Despite his old age and many harrowing experiences, he was a kind man, but stern when he needed to be. His face was wrinkled, and he had short, dark grey hair with light brown streaks in a bowl-like cut. His curved nose often reminded students of a hawk's beak. He had a slight hunch in his back which made him slouch over, and he was clad in a black cloak that covered his matching suit. He stuck out quite a bit, not only due to his gender but also for his somewhat non-threatening and gentle appearance compared to the other teachers. He also tried to be nicer to the students, even if that did get very little respect from them, considering they were witches who didn’t exactly bother with niceties.

As Headmistress Griffin's appearance finished forming at the podium, she placed both her hands on its surface and glared at the students as a warning that any unnecessary interruption wouldn't go unpunished.

“My young witches and warlocks,” she started, her voice sounding both smooth and seductive, yet still clear and calm, reaching every student, “I hope your first day of school has been full of malice and troublemaking, but I’ve summoned you here because I have rather sad news to share: Alfea is having their annual and most sacred back-to-school gala tonight. A ‘delightful’ celebration where they invite the students of Red Fountain to give gifts and drink tea together, isn't that just quaint?” Nobody dared to answer to that response in fear that Griffin might hex them. The purple-haired woman took a deep breath, then continued. “And once again they have decided that Cloud Tower should not be invited.”

Students immediately started booing, and instead of Headmistress Griffin being angry at this, she merely raised her hand to silence them.

“I'm aware of your irritation, and I understand, but maybe they had their reasons. They probably want a quiet, boring little party with tea and sandwiches, with happy music and everyone smiling and other special fairy nonsense.”

A couple more students jeered at this.

“No matter the reason, this gives you a perfect opportunity to test your powers. We are witches and warlocks for a reason, and it is our job, nay, our _right_ to crash this party and wipe those goofy smiles off their faces.”

The audience couldn't help but clap at Griffin's speech as she continued.

“They've snubbed us, so we'll make them pay for it. Not too hard to understand, and that's why we'll be kicking off this year with a wicked school-wide competition. I urge you to come up with a way to ruin their little soiree! Submit your proposals by email within the next five hours and I'll select the worst one. The winners will receive a gift certificate to the Tiecoon. Every student is welcome to enter and do not hesitate to come up with the nastiest ideas you can think of. May the worst witch or warlock win.” 

Headmistress Griffin took her smoke form again without hesitation and flew out of the room as the students cheered. Professor Ediltrude then gave them the signal to leave.

“Oh, I'm going to come up with something super devious to scare those fairies,” a girl with long, teal hair said to her friend as they stood up.

Her friend, a girl with short magenta hair nodded in approval, but snarked, “not before I do.”

As the students and staff cleared the auditorium, three witches sitting in the far back stayed behind; Icy, Darcy, and Stormy. Darcy and Stormy were busy playing on their phones. Icy, on the other hand, had a mischievous look on her face while rubbing her hands together.

As Icy started chuckling, Darcy spoke, “So I assume by your tittering that you have a scheme brewing.”

“Of course,” Icy replied. “This'll bring us one step closer to getting that bimbo's ring and making a bit of mischief along the way.”

“We'd be wasting our time,” Stormy said, missing the point. “It's just supposed to be sabotaging this party. What good would that do for us?”

“Trust me, Stormy, this will be fun,” Icy reminded her, placing a hand on her shoulder. Her grin widened. “We'll be killing two birds with one spell.”

***

“Party, party, party, I like to go to parties,” Musa sang while dancing around the living room. “Oh, I'm so excited. We're going to have a big party with gifts, food, and dancing!”

“And handsome blokes,” Stella swooned while relaxing on the couch. “By the way, Musa, it's not just a party, it's a Gala. And a Gala is only good when you have a stylish outfit to wear. What shall I wear though? I have so many dresses to choose from, but I will _not_ be caught wearing something I’ve worn to a Gala before.”

“You're right, I don't have anything good to put on,” Musa murmured thoughtfully, twirling on her tiptoes. “I wonder if I can get a nice dress with the money they gave us? Well, I guess when you think about it, it doesn't matter what I wear; I'll still be having so much fun!”

“Musa, so innocent.” Stella shook her head, a fond note in her voice. “You have to wear your best attire to a Gala.” Her face lit up as she remembered a recent purchase. “I might have something fetching for myself.” She then stood up from the couch and raced to her room while Musa and Flora waited in the living room. She came out a second later holding a jewel accented, salmon-colored, strapless mini dress. “Behold, a Quaroa Wixrahi exclusive. I had to max out one of the credit cards daddy gave me, but it was worth it. It was calling to me from the shop window: 'Buy… buy me please'.”

“And you nobly answered its plea,” Flora joked, ruffling her hair. “You’ll look super cute in it, that's for sure.”

“Thank you, Flora.” Stella beamed, then looked at her ring and pouted. “Shame my ring doesn't go with it. I’m going to have to hide it.”

“I can keep it safe!” Musa said, waving her hand in the air. “I can hide it in one of my books- oops, I just told you my- ‘hide stuff’ spot.”

“It’s no worries, Muse,” Stella said, amused. “I know where to put it.”

“All right, I reckon I found the right thing to wear. Tell me what y’all think,” Tecna called from her room before entering the main hall wearing a knee-length, chocolate brown lace dress. She did a slow spin to show it off to the three girls. “It took me fo' _evah_ to find this thing. Thank goodness mah mama packed this with mah stuff.”

“You look so adorable,” Musa squealed, clasping her hands together. “You're like a model.”

Tecna blushed. “Aw shucks, you being too kind.”

“It's ...flattering,” Stella half-complimented.

“Flatterin’? What kind of mess is that?” Tecna said, offended. “I scoured my closet for hours and this works.” 

“Yes, and it’s flattering,” Stella said, still looking somewhat unconvinced. “A nice pair of shoes would accent the outfit though.”

Tecna placed her hands on her hips as Flora whipped out the cash she was given for the gala. She started counting it slowly, then sighed.

“This isn’t _nearly_ enough for the right dress and supplies,” Flora noted. “I hope I can find the right one, one that pops, and still have time to buy decorations for the dance. I’m so glad they assigned me that, but why can’t we use magic to make our dresses?”

“Oh no, don’t do that, trying to make a dress with nothing…” Stella shook her head and sighed. “Magic is difficult. There has to be an image of the dress you want in your head and then there’s getting the right spell and magic dust and there’s a chance it might not stabilize.”

“Might not what?” Flora questioned.

“A girl tried to make her own dress with magic for the gala last year and she sort of succeeded before the dress literally turned into dust during the first dance.” Flora, Musa, and Tecna gasped simultaneously while Stella simply nodded in response. “She ran out in tears afterward, only wearing a strapless bra and weirdly patterned panties.”

“Maybe buying a dress won’t be that bad,” Flora relented nervously.

“Don’t worry, Flo’a, we’ll help you find one,” Tecna said, giving her a reassuring smile. “The Magix bus will be arriving soon. We can have a shopping spree.”

“I like the way you think,” Stella smiled in approval.

“Totally. I heard the guys at Red Fountain are major hotties and I want to get some numbers,” Flora said, sighing dreamily. 

“You’re not wrong about that.” Stella winked. “You will totally get some guy’s attention and a nice dress could distract them from you being shaped like a candy bar.”

“As if I care about gettin’ a gaze from a boy.” Tecna scoffed, crossing her arms. “One will gimme a gif' and I reckon y'all will be by my side for the rest of the night.”

“Is that why you’re dressed like a total diva?” Musa questioned with a bemused smile.

“When you attend a festival occasion, you gotta dress acco'din'ly. That’s why I’m wearin’ this,” Tecna refuted. “Plus, mah parents would flip if I spent a bunch of money when I already own a nice dress like this.”

“Mm-hm, whatever you say, love,” Stella said, rolling her eyes. “I should probably give you gals a few tips before tonight.” 

“This oughta be good,” Tecna said. 

“Okay to start, never ever ask a bloke for the first dance. That’s _his_ job,” Stella said crossing her legs. “A proper gentleman will always take the first approach when it comes to etiquette. If you offer your hand first, it’ll become awkward.” 

“Should I be taking notes?” Musa asked her.

“Yes-” Stella started before being interrupted by laughing in the background.

“Yeah, take notes and don’t forget to title it, ‘What Not to Do at a School Dance’,” the girls looked over to see Bloom standing behind Stella. The redhead casually waved at the blonde with a smirk on her face. “It totally works, just wait for the guy to probably ask you for a dance. You’ll be waiting all night, but it’s totally worth it.”

“I’ll take that as a no then,” Musa said, a little confused. “That’s good, I don’t like waiting for someone to talk to me, anyway!”

“Oh, princess, whatever shall she do?” Bloom bemoaned, dropping to one knee with a dramatic flourish. “Now she will never know the gift of waiting for that special someone.”

Flora, Tecna, and Musa began laughing as Bloom started fake-crying, but Stella frowned.

“Are you done?” she questioned, annoyed.

“Maybe,” Bloom smirked. “Do you mind if I finish the rest of your fantastical advice? Step one, make sure he calls you on the telephone to ask you out ahead of time.” Bloom raised her voice in a mocking British tone while raising her index finger. “Step two, don’t wear glasses because it’ll be a turn off for the boys. Step three, wear the tightest shoes to make sure you’re limping after standing for hours waiting for that special somebody to ask you for a dance.”

Everyone except Stella chuckled at this. 

“Oh, _ha ha_ , laugh it up,” Stella chided. “This is top tier guy-scoring advice, I’ll have you know. Appreciate it.”

Bloom rolled her eyes.

Stella cocked her head. “Bloom, so negative. Oh, and just in case you wanted to know the proper shoes to wear. Two-inch heels, not flats, that match the color of your dress. Avoid stripes, spots and especially splotched shoes. When the night of the Gala arrives, the heels will give off the appearance of poise and confidence.”

“Yes, poise and confidence as you step on his toes. That is of utmost importance,” Bloom said very seriously, walking on her tiptoes. She was trying and failing to hide her amusement. “The boys will drop to their knees.”

Everyone laughed again, except Stella, who simply grumbled in frustration. “Never mind,” she sighed. “Bloom, I’m sure you didn’t just come in here to annoy me, what else do you bleeding want?”

“Right,” Bloom remembered, staring down at the slip of paper in her hand. “I wanted to know what job you guys were assigned. I’m just curious.”

“I’m providing the decorations,” Flora answered.

“I’m taking care of the music, so just send me your best jams,” Musa added. “I’ve already gotten seven hundred songs, score!”

“Did they assign you that, or did you volunteer?” Tecna asked knowingly.

“You already know the answer to that,” Musa said with a prideful grin. “I want to make sure the music is upbeat for the entire night. Have you ever been to a party with no good music?” She paused, seeming to wait for a reply from one of the girls, then quickly exclaimed, “of course you haven’t, because that'd be crazy!”

“Well, there was that one place I went that played polka music all night, but not very many people were dancing. So that is very generous of you,” Stella said, patting her on the shoulder. “I was tasked with setting up lights, and I know Griselda said no using unauthorized magic but hanging up a few lights with it should be an exception to that rule.”

“Did you use magic without permission last year?” Bloom asked.

“Yes,” Stella said without hesitating.

“Did it end well?” 

That seemed to humble her. “Y- Not really,” Stella sheepishly admitted. “That was last year though. I’ve gotten much better at evading the faculty.”

“I doubt that,” Tecna said dryly. “They got me workin’ with food.” 

“What about you, love?” Stella asked Bloom since she was the one who brought it up.

“I... have to wash dishes,” she replied, reading the slip of paper. Her flatmates groaned sympathetically. “Aren't there going to be like a thousand people there?”

“Close to it,” Musa answered. “If you’re counting Alfea students and Red Fountain students it’ll be over… nine hundred and ninety-eight attending guests.”

“You forgot to factor in staff,” Tecna mentioned. 

“I’m going to wash over nine hundred dishes at the end of the night?” Bloom exclaimed. 

“It won’t just be you. Four other Alfea students and six Red Fountain students were unfortunate enough to get assigned that task. You won’t be completely alone,” Stella corrected, giggling mischievously. “I needed that.” 

Bloom glared at Stella for a few seconds. 

“Don’t look so grim, darling, there'll be tons of handsome blokes you’ll be meeting,” Stella said looking at the positives. “Before you have to prune your hands at midnight, you’ll be dancing the night away.” 

“I don’t care about that,” Bloom admitted with a shrug. 

“Please,” Stella said with a hand wave. “You say that now, but once you see all the gorgeous boys there you’ll be changing your tune. Oh, and did I mention that cute blond guy you met will be there?”

Bloom shook her head. “I’ll have to see that idiot again. I mean if he doesn’t hide behind that prince,” she said. 

“No way, you met one of the Specialists?” Flora asked.

“We met four of them and one was a prince,” Stella said gleefully.

“No way!” Musa said, cupping her cheeks. “You met the Specialists? Like the really real Specialists? The school for training warriors? They actually saved you guys. For really real? Tell me!”

Bloom stared at the wide-eyed blue-haired girl for a few seconds before sighing. “Yes.”

“Whoa,” Musa breathlessly said. “Was it super awesome?”

“Of course it was, love, they saved our lives after all,” Stella said. 

Bloom stared at Stella with a raised eyebrow. “You mean they came thirty minutes after you called them, right when an ogre had already destroyed my parents’ house?”

“Girl, you got every right to be mad, let me tell ya,” Tecna agreed.

Bloom nodded at her emphatically. “Thank you!”

“You’re still mad about that?” Stella asked, surprised. “Didn’t you tell me that your house was already repaired, thanks to the Specialist sending a crew to fix it?”

Bloom crossed her arms before turning away from the princess. “Anyways, don't you guys think it's odd there’s a school dance today? Classes literally started yesterday and there's already some big party or whatever it’s called. Shouldn't it be later in the semester?”

“She’s not wrong,” Tecna mused aloud.

“I get that it’s weird,” Stella said. “You see, the Back to School Gala is a welcome gift to all the first years, a congratulations for the new students for being accepted into Alfea especially since it’s going to get tougher as the semester goes on. You get to mingle, dance, and receive gifts before getting into the nitty-gritty.” Stella explained. “It’s best to throw it now instead of a few months into classes when we’re too knackered to enjoy ourselves. If the gala happened a few months from now, we'd all be too tired and stressed.” 

“That's true,” Bloom said, rubbing her forehead. “I need a break already, honestly.” 

“That’s the spirit,” Stella said cheerfully. “Now what do you have to wear?”

“Do you think they'll let me wear this?” Bloom asked.

“No, are you telling me you don't have a dress?” Stella said, shocked. 

“Not really. At least, not any dresses for some gala and I'm not sure I'd fit any of yours,” Bloom motioned towards the whole group. “Guess I'll have to skip this whole dance after all. Maybe eat some popcorn and hang out with Kiko.”

“While that _is_ fun,” Musa said sincerely, “Bloom, you gotta go, this is one of the most important events of the year. Think of all the fun you’d miss out on if you decided to just stay here all night.”

“Please, what does this dance have that I can’t get from my cat?”

“Good music and dancing,” Musa answered.

“Healthy food,” Flora added.

“Boys!” Stella said dreamily.

“Human interaction,” Tecna finished.

“That and it’s a school-wide requirement, if you skip, you’ll be stuck doing tedious chores around school for the next two weeks,” Stella added. “Plus, dish duty.”

“What the omega?” Tecna questioned in shock.

“Aww, lucky,” Musa pouted.

“I’m already washing god damn dishes!” Bloom shouted. “So, I have to go whether I want to or not? This party is sounding better and better. I didn’t even go to school dances back on Earth. Why is it such a big deal to go?”

“Oh, Bloom,” Stella chided, shaking her head. “I get things might’ve been a little different on Earth when it came to stuff like parties, but I promise you it won’t be bad. You’ll have your best friends with you, by your side, to keep you company.”

“I’m good with that,” Tecna said. “We’ll have our own little posse.”

“Totally,” Flora surprisingly said.

“Uh-huh, I still don’t have anything to wear,” Bloom reminded the blonde.

“Did you already receive the money for supplies?” Stella asked.

Bloom nodded.

Stella threw her hands in the air cheerfully. “The solution, as the fabulous Tecna suggested: Shopping spree! There’s a bus headed here in the next-” Stella and the others turned to Tecna who intuitively checked her watch.

“Fifteen minutes,” she answered.

“Fifteen minutes. We head down there, buy our supplies, and then spend the rest of the time shopping for fantastic gowns for the gala. What do you say?”

“Yes, we’re going to Magix again!” Musa cheered.

“Magix does seem like the best place to find a dress that pops,” Flora agreed. “I’m in.”

“But I already have something to wear,” Tecna protested.

Stella glanced at her with a tight smile. “It never hurts to keep your options open.”

Tecna pouted but reasoned that it would be a good idea to at least look for a new dress at a good price. 

Bloom, on the other hand, still didn't seem to be in the mood to go shopping. She’d just started classes and was still having trouble figuring out what she was in this magical world. She knew she didn’t have much of a choice though, as Stella eagerly nudged her in the side with a wide grin on her face. 

“Eh. Eh, what do you say, Bloom?” She placed her hands on the girl's shoulder. “Come on, love, it'll be fun! There are a dozen stores where you can find just the right dress, I have a few in mind myself. It’s a win-win.” Stella then pulled Bloom closer to her and whispered, “Plus I really want to help you out, no new bestie of mine is attending any gala in casual attire.”

“Fine,” Bloom relented. “I'm only doing this because I might, _might_ find an outfit in town.”

“Yes! I’m the best, aren’t I?” Stella beamed, resting her arm on Bloom’s shoulder. 

Bloom rolled her eyes but felt a small smile come across her face.

***

After a long bus ride, a wave of Alfea students exited the bus quickly onto the streets of Magix. Stella eagerly led her four curious friends to a small boutique a block from the bus stop. Bloom had perked up a little about the party after Stella filled her in on all the other fun things that would be there. She’d even submitted a song before she left for the bus, nothing too explicit, but something she knew people would like. Although now that she was in Magix again she couldn’t help feeling uneasy. It was only a day ago where she was frozen to a wall but those villainous witches that she still couldn’t remember. As Stella led the girls down the sidewalk and they approached the store, the redhead looked around. “Isn't there another town we could’ve gone to?”

“No, silly,” Stella said. “That bus only takes us to and from Magix, Red Fountain, and Alfea.”

“Great,” Bloom mumbled. “I wonder if we’ll pass the corner where I was frozen to a wall.”

Stella giggled, looping her arm around Blooms. “Love, there's nothing to fret about. You have us by your side, we'll protect you from any evil witches that try to hurt you.”

“Hopefully,” Bloom said, looking over her shoulder. “Anyways, I just hope we don't spend more than an hour dress shopping.”

“You can’t place a time limit on shopping, darling,” Stella countered. “When you shop, you must make sure to try on everything you like.”

“Yeah, but ours is ‘til four, so we got about three hours,” Tecna said looking at her watch. The girls laughed as the magenta haired girl looked on in confusion. “I ain’t kiddin’.”

“We know, Tecna,” Musa reassured by patting the girl on the back. “It's so great to be back in Magix. The sun’s out, the air is cool and no witches are attacking us.”

Bloom giggled as she thought about how surreal that last part sounded to her. Back on Earth, all she had to worry about was Mitzi annoying her, not witches freezing her to a wall. 

“It really is a charming place where the best boutiques reside, and you’ll find some of the most darling outfits at my personal favorite, Poppy's Petals!” Stella said as she and the girls got closer to the front of a small store wedged between a shoe store and a diner. A large white sign at the front read 'Poppy's Petals' in yellow letters. Mannequins dressed in strange and unique gowns were posed at the front window. Bloom saw the store was already packed with girls frantically searching for outfits to wear to the gala. 

Stella eagerly ushered her group into the store. A tall and thin woman with choppy purple hair spotted her at the entrance and speed-walked over to her.

“Princess Stella Luna Leanna Celestia Estelle Davenwood, it's such a pleasure to see you again!” she said, giving the princess air kisses. 

“Dang, how did you get that many names?” Tecna questioned, scratching her head. “An' how does she know who you are?”

“I'm a regular here,” Stella boasted. 

“Well of course you are, we only cater to the high class and sophisticated clientele after all.” The woman's eyes glanced over at Stella’s roommates with a wary look on her face. “I see you’re helping the less fortunate today.”

Stella’s face turned a bright red in embarrassment as she took in the shocked expressions from her flatmates.

“Excuse me?” Flora and Tecna exclaimed, offended.

“Yup, saw that coming,” Bloom said. 

Musa, on the other hand, didn’t seem too bothered by the insult as she was too enamored by the clothes in the store. “Do you have any dresses with a hoop skirt?”

“We do, but I’m not so sure you can afford a hair clip here, let alone a dress,” the woman said, still in the same saccharine voice.

“That’s okay-” Musa began to say with a smile before being interrupted by Bloom.

“You can tone down the bitch, lady. She was just asking a question,” she snapped. “I love what you did to your hair though. How did you manage to buy such a realistic wig?”

Flora and Tecna burst out into laughter as Musa covered her mouth in shock. Stella’s eyes widened as the woman's face scrunched up in disgust.

“I’ll have you know that this is my real hair and it costs more to get done than your shirt.”

“Really?” Bloom asked, sounding concerned. “You might need to sue your hairstylist.”

The woman gasped as she prepared to usher Bloom out of the store. “You little-” 

“D- don’t mind her, she’s just kidding!” Stella exclaimed, giggling nervously. She elbowed Bloom in the side with a twinge of aggravation in her eyes. She seemed to have reached her point with the redhead. “She has an odd sense of humor, for sure, but trust me, she means no harm. Isn’t that right, darling?”

“Sure,” Bloom slowly said.

The woman gave Bloom a hard look, before looking back at Stella with a polite smile. “Let’s forget this little episode and move on. Princess, what brings you back to Poppy's Petals?” she inquired instead. “Was there an issue with the Quaroa Wixrahi? I can hook you up. I know we don't do exchanges or refunds, but I can let that slide for my favorite customer.”

“Why thank you, Vera, but I'm not here for me.” Stella waved her hands towards the four girls. “My flatmates are in dire need of new dresses for the back to school gala at Alfea tonight and I thought, what better place to bring them to than here?”

Vera nodded with a wide smile on her face.

“Dire, seriously?” Bloom questioned with a raised eyebrow.

Stella's eyes angrily darted towards the redhead before she let out a forced laugh. “You must excuse her, she's not in a good mood.”

“I can see that, don’t worry I've seen this before; searching for the right dress the day before a Gala is serious business, you've come to the right place,” Vera said, giving each girl a once-over. “Hm… it might take a while, but each of you should be able to find the perfect ensemble. Even you, hun.” Vera motioned towards Bloom with a forced smile. “We do have the best.”

“I don't know, after such rude service I’m not sure there’s anything to my liking,” Flora said. “I have specific taste, after all. I don’t just want something that’s okay. It has to, like, pop.”

“Say no more, I already know what you have in mind. Allow me to show you around,” Vera offered, leading Flora to one of the many dress racks.

“She seems nice,” Musa said sincerely. “Anyways, I better start looking before all the good stuff is gone. Good luck, girls!” She eagerly raced away with Tecna following behind her.

“I guess we're splitting up then,” Bloom said. 

“Not us,” Stella sang. “For today only, I shall be your stylist.”

“Stylist?” Bloom questioned.

“Yes, and I want to find you something that is sexy, alluring, and brimming with confidence,” Stella said, looking her friend up and down. “What do you think?”

“Um, well I was hoping to wear something simple, but unique,” Bloom explained. “And nothing that shows off my body.”

“Oh, mate, where’s the fun in that?” Stella laughed. “You’re not giving me a lot to work with.” Bloom shrugged in response with a laid-back smile on her face. “All right, I can make this work. I know my way around this store, so I should be able to find something for your taste.”

“Lead the way,” the redhead said with an unenthusiastic wave of her hand.

The princess eagerly yanked the redhead’s arm to scour the store for every dress she thought would look good on her friend. It took over half an hour, but Stella found three dresses from different racks that she thought her roommate would like. Bloom was then ushered into a fitting room and tried on her first choice. 

Bloom walked out in a short-sleeved black and white striped sheath dress with a black belt. “How about this?” she asked, spinning around slowly.

Stella gave it a once over then shook her head. “That looks far too bland. To be honest, I grabbed that one in a hurry.”

“I don’t know, I think it works. Simple, yet fancy and it’s got a nice feel to it,” Bloom disagreed. Unfortunately, once she checked the price tag she flinched. “I don’t get the currency here, but that looks like a lot of numbers.”

Stella looked over the price tag as well. “Bleeding omega, I must’ve picked this off the limited rack. I’d help you pay for it, but I maxed out all my credit cards for the month.”

 _‘For the month?’_ Bloom thought in her head. “Um, no worries I still have two left.”

“I made sure to put a lot of effort into picking out the best dresses for you and they’re affordable. I don't just go around doing that for every commoner, you know.”

“How generous of you to help out the less fortunate,” Bloom sarcastically said. After another few minutes, the redhead slunk out of the fitting room in an above the knee-length, pink, long-sleeve lace dress. Her face stayed bright red as she kept her arms covered over her body that was showing off more skin than she had planned.

“What do you think of this one?” Stella asked, satisfied with her choice.

“Ok, well some notes,” Bloom said nervously covering her chest. “One, I have an issue with showing off this much of my body. Two, I’m not sure what size this dress is, because it’s really pinching around my waist and most importantly, I look ridiculous in this! My father wouldn't even let me leave the dressing room with this on.”

“Nonsense, I think you look stunning,” Stella complimented. “You just need to pin up your hair to complete the ensemble. Well that, better makeup and proper jewelry, but away from that the dress really works.”

The redhead sighed. “I'm not putting anything up, my back is already showing as it is. We need to talk about that, too.” Bloom turned around to show that the dress was so low-cut that it stopped right at the lower part of her freckled back. “This much of my back should not be showing!”

“My word, those are a lot of spots,” Stella said, poking one of the freckles on Bloom’s back. “I can cover that up with some concealer.”

“I don’t need a concealer, I want a dress that keeps them covered,” Bloom said, placing her hands on her back.

“Dearie, you’re overreacting, this dress is stylish,” Stella said. “I'd wear it.”

Bloom huffed. “No.” She waddled back into the fitting room as her hands remained at her back attempting to hide her spots. After she removed that dress, she grabbed the last dress from the pile and sighed at how small the single piece of clothing looked. 

While Bloom struggled to put on the last dress, the rest of the girls met up at the dressing rooms. Musa and Tecna sat down on some chairs near the rooms talking to Stella while Flora went into the second fitting room with ten dresses hanging from her arm.

As the minutes passed, Stella became worried for the redhead. “Mate, is everything okay in there?”

“Uh-huh,” Bloom replied.

“Well, you coming out soon?” Stella asked.

Bloom sighed; this time more exhausted. “All right.”

The redhead walked out of the dressing room in the last dress, a glitter-coated skintight dress that stopped at her knees. It was more constricting than the second dress, making it difficult for Bloom to breathe.

Stella clapped bouncing from the chair she was sitting on. Musa and Tecna simply shared the same surprised look. Vera walked up to the princess and nodded in approval when she saw Bloom in the dress.

“It’s absolutely brills, don’t you think so?” Stella asked the saleswoman.

Vera nodded. “This is one of our best sellers and it's a perfect fit.” 

“It is?” Tecna questioned.

“I think you look really… tight,” Musa said, struggling to find a compliment. Even for her, this dress looked ridiculous.

“I… I… can’t breathe,” Bloom said, struggling to talk. Even when she adjusted it around her waist, she still found it difficult to catch her breath. “I need to get out of this thing before I pass out.”

She waddled back into the dressing room still struggling to breathe and closed the curtain behind her. There was no way she’d be wearing that dress.

Stella groaned, rubbing the temple of her forehead, “So, that's another no.” 

“Guess our clothes don’t fit her taste,” Vera chided. “There might be a thrift shop in town though. They have a lot of...simpler attire there.”

“I apologize for that, Vera,” Stella said, mortified. “She’s new here.”

“At least she’s trying,” Bloom mumbled, struggling to remove the dress. She kept tugging it off her head before tossing it on the floor with Stella’s other picks. She quickly put on her regular clothes then stared at herself in the mirror for a few seconds. “This was such a waste of time.” She pulled back the curtain in aggravation leaving the outfits on the dressing room floor. 

“Don't you want to try anything else on?” Stella questioned.

“Nope,” Bloom said. “Is Flora still in the dressing room?”

“Yup,” Musa answered. “She wants to find something that'll make her pop!”

“She keeps sayin’ that too,” Tecna added. “She got about ten of ‘em, bless her heart. I'll be dawgone surprised if she still has enough time to buy those dishes. Musa and I decided on usin’ our money for supplies, savin’ whatever we have left, and wearin’ somethin’ we bought from home.”

“Yeah, the hoop skirt outfits are too rich for me. I’m pretty sure my nana sent me a couple outfits I can wear tonight,” Musa agreed. “But if it makes you feel any better, I thought you looked lovely in all those dresses, Bloom.”

“Please, I wouldn't be caught dead in any of those things.” Bloom dug into her pockets and pulled out the cash she had. After thinking for a second, she decided on buying an outfit by herself. She stuffed the cash deeper into her pocket then said, “I’ll see you guys back at the dorms. I don’t have to buy any supplies for the party, but I’d rather look around for dresses.” She gave Stella a meaningful look. “By myself.” 

“You sure?” Tecna asked, checking her watch. “It’s gettin’ kinda late. Shit, I have to buy the ingredients for my dip soon. Gotta run, gals.”

In a flash, Tecna raced out the store, knocking over a few mannequins in her stride. Musa smiled, scratching her head. 

“I’ll just stay here with Stella, we can go off and buy some silverware, isn’t that right princess?” Musa said, looping her arm around Stella’s.

“Of course, I’d love to,” Stella smiled.

“Yay!” Musa cheered.

“Well I'll be done before that bus comes to pick us up,” Bloom reassured. “An hour is too much time for me. I’m bound to find something quicker than that.”

At least she hoped so.

Stella pouted. “All right, but if you need any help from me, I’m one text away.”

“I know, you made sure to enter your two phone numbers in my phone after I told you not to,” Bloom joked. “See ya.”

She waved to the group before walking out of the store down the main street. She slowly walked through the streets, going into a couple of stores, but none of them appealed to her. They were either filled with flowing ball gowns or tacky overpriced attire. She didn’t want anything extravagant or expensive, she only wanted something simple, unique, and cheap, but none of the town’s stores seemed to agree with her stance on dresses. 

“Why is every store here the same?” she wondered aloud. “Either I waste my money on an ugly dress or skip this stupid dance. Unless there’s a sale somewhere.”

As she rounded a corner, she noticed the wonderful sight of a sale sign in the window of a store called 'Tainted Paradise'. A large white sign hanging in front of the window read, ‘ _Big Blowout Sale! Everything 50 to 70% off!_ ’

Bloom rushed inside the small, cozy shop, noticing the darkly-lit, quaint atmosphere, male and female clothing in different shades. The redhead let out a sigh of relief. This was the perfect spot for her and as she walked around Tainted Paradise, she was mesmerized by how much this store fit her style.

“This… this is my store,” Bloom said, looking around the whole room.

A pale girl with freckles and short burgundy hair with blue streaks walked out of one of the dressing rooms, her eyes focused on her phone. When she spotted Bloom, she nearly dropped it.

“Holy shit, a customer?” she said surprised. “Lucy, we got a customer!”

“Dude, I’m just in the break room, you don’t have to yell,” Lucy, an odd-looking girl with an elongated chin, thin frame, and green hair said, walking out from another room on the side. The burgundy haired girl pointed at Bloom eagerly. “Oh hey.”

“What can we do to help you?” Dude asked, springing up to Bloom. “I’m Mirta, btw, not Dude, but I mean you can call me dude or like whatever, just don’t leave the store.”

“Um… ‘kay,” Bloom said, backing away a few inches. “I’m searching for a dress for the Back to School gala.”

“Wait, really, _you_?” Lucy questioned, surprised while going through mid-sip of her drink.

“You’re a fairy?” Mirta asked, circling around the girl. “Totally awesome!”

Bloom couldn’t help laughing at the attention she was getting from the two girls. “You don’t see a lot of goth fairies?”

“At this store? Rarely, but we don’t get much clientele here, to begin with,” Lucy shrugged. “I prefer that.”

“We work sales, so I don’t,” Mirta said, rolling her eyes. “Only witches shop here and even they don’t shop here that much. So Lucy and I just spend our time doing nothing.”

“Again, exactly how I prefer,” Lucy said, holding up her cup. “Anyways, you’re going to that dumb dance, why?”

“Yeah, you really don’t want to go, it’s-” Before Mirta could tell Bloom anything else Lucy interrupted her.

“Lame city.”

“Uh, yeah, that’s why you shouldn’t go,” Mirta said, blushing. “And nothing else.”

“...Right,” Bloom said, shifting her eyes as the burgundy hair girl avoided eye contact with her. “I have to go, literally have to go, or I get punished. Are you guys going?”

Lucy burst out into laughter, nearly choking on her straw. Mirta rolled her eyes at her coworkers’ reaction.

“Cloud Tower witches aren’t invited.” she pouted.

Cloud Tower witches? Bloom had never heard of Cloud Tower, but she had remembered witches and she wasn’t sure how to feel about being around them again but kept quiet about her worries since the girls were so nice. Well one of them.

“Thank you for that,” Lucy said seriously while walking behind the counter. “Mirt, you think Rodney will mind me taking from the donation jar? I’m jonesing for another strawberry blast.”

“No, but we discussed this, it’s morally wrong,” Mirt said, nervously. “Ignore her, now as you were saying earlier, you’re searching for a dress for that gala thing? I’d be honored to help.”

“Fairy trash,” Lucy mumbled, as Mirta ushered Bloom over to a rack of glimmering dark-colored dresses. 

“Not everyone dresses the same and Tainted Paradise provides them a better choice that won’t cost them an entire check,” Mirta said as if she was reading off a cue card. “May I show you this fashionable number?” She dramatically whipped out a sparkling red dress with a wide grin on her face. “Do you love it or do you love it?”

“I kind of love it,” Bloom said brightly, examining the dress. “I’ll try it on, thanks, Mirta.”

“You’re welcome,” Mirta said, gushing with joy.

As Bloom walked away, Lucy came close to Mirta and whispered in her ear, “Why are you helping out the fairy trash?”

“Because as the mission statement says, ‘Tainted Paradise turns away no customer whether fairy, witch, wizard or even troll. Because everyone deserves some wicked clothing’.”

“You are literally the only person who I know who’s ever read a handbook, cover to cover,” Lucy said, embarrassed. “Why are we even friends?”

“Because you adore me?” Mirta said, blinking energetically. 

Lucy rolled her eyes with a small, fond smile on her face.

“What do you think?” Bloom asked, stepping out of the dressing room.

Mirta clasped her hands together like a parent sending their daughter to prom while Lucy looked on indifferently. “You look perfect. Oh, and I know just the perfect shoes for you.”

Mirta raced to the shoes lined up along the back wall. It turned out to be a really easy choice when she spotted a pair of shiny black combat boots. She walked over with the perfect pair before asking, “I’m guessing a size six?”

“Uh, yeah,” Bloom said, taking the shoes. The girl's immediate knowledge of her shoe size was impressive. “Thanks, Mirta.”

“Oh well, it’s just, and I, thank you,” Mirta stuttered, blushing heavily. 

“For the love of the omega dimension, why are we friends?” Lucy repeated, facepalming.

“You adore me,” Mirta said.

Bloom laughed. “I’m going to check out the jewelry case now,” she said, still giggling at the intriguing girls. She approached the jewelry shelves near the counter where a wide array of exotic necklaces, rings, and bracelets appeared. “I don’t know what to choose.”

“I’d go with that beaded necklace,” Lucy suggested, pointing at a black and red beaded necklace. “The colors match the dress.”

Bloom and Mirta turned towards the formerly unhelpful Lucy who simply shrugged, sipping the last remnants of her smoothie. “I might as well help out a little since my break ended four minutes ago.”

Bloom’s eyes went back to the necklace at the bottom of the shelf. Red and black beads were connected with stainless steel links. It was perfect. “You guys are pretty good at this.”

“That’s why we have this job,” Mirta said pridefully.

“Well, I needed a part-time job, but I try,” Lucy replied dryly.

Bloom chuckled, before looking down at her phone and found she only had ten minutes left until the bus would arrive. She raced back into the fitting room and changed into her regular clothes then went to the front counter with her dress, shoes, and necklace in hand. “Well, time for me to checkout. Mirta, would you do the honors?”

“Definitely,” Mirta exclaimed.

Bloom quickly paid for her items and with a bag in hand she hurried out the door, yelling over her shoulder, “Thank you.”

“Come back soon!” Mirta called, closing the door behind her. “What a totally awesome girl.”

“For a fairy, she was pretty all right,” Lucy begrudgingly agreed. “Shame that her and every other fairies are gonna be pranked tonight. I told you we should’ve submitted something, maybe a slime prank.”

“No way, you know I can’t think of anything cruel like that,” Mirta said giggling while pressing buttons on the register. “Wish you had let me warn her, poor thing.”

“She’s a fairy, we can’t ruin it or we’ll be total narcs,” Lucy said. “It’ll be fine.”

“I sure hope so,” Mirta said, frowning. Her mood quickly improved, and she began to smirk. “It’s definitely going to be a night to remember.”

***

Icy, Darcy, and Stormy sat in Headmistress Griffin's office as the headmistress read through a folder that the girls couldn't recognize. The three girls, one with white hair, one with brown hair and one with blue frizzy hair, sat impatiently on the other side, somewhat unsure why they were being called down to her office, but it wasn't out of the ordinary. Some of the mischievous deeds they did around the school were legendary around Cloud Tower.

Icy tried to sneak a peek at one of the many papers on Griffin's desk before the woman's eyes shot up from her paper and a dark smoke emitted from her body. The girl immediately drew her hand back; even someone as tough as her feared the menacing headmistress.

“If you don't mind me asking, Headmistress Griffin, why’d you call us up to your office?” Darcy asked, breaking the silence.

“Glad you asked, Miss. Maganti,” Griffin said, closing the folder. “I have good news for the three of you. I've received many proposals for the nefarious prank on the fairies at Alfea. All of them were very devious, but none as disgusting as yours! Your idea is simply repulsive! Icy, Stormy, Darcy, what I'm trying to say is the idea you came up with is the best! Congratulations.”

“All right!” Stormy cheered, pumping her fist in the air.

“Huh, thanks… I think?” Darcy said, scratching her head, wondering whether she should be flattered or insulted.

“Ignore her,” Icy cut over her quickly. “We knew our idea would win, Headmistress Griffin, thank you.”

“No need to thank me,” Griffin said. “You're the ones who came up with the idea, it's just the thing to spoil their fun. Make sure to not disappoint me.”

“Trust me, headmistress, it’ll be a night full of wickedness,” Icy started, nodding with a mischievous smile.

“Just one more thing Headmistress, how would we get into the school? Isn’t there a protection on Alfea that prevents teleportation in and out of the school?” Darcy inquired. 

“There is, that is why you will be using the ancient catacombs connecting the three schools,” Headmistress Griffin answered. The three young witches smiled at the prospect of exploring the abandoned catacombs. 

“Take this.” She extended her hand and out came smoke, shooting towards Darcy. Darcy held out her own hand, and in her palm, the smoke took the form of a small, black vial, filled to the brim with clear purple bubbling liquid. 

“A potion for the use of only the most diabolical witches and warlocks with the Darkness Source,” Griffin said with glee. “Use it to travel through the ancient catacombs connecting all 3 schools, and to explore Alfea. _Undetected_.” She put special emphasis on the last word. 

Darcy stared at the vial for a while and then questioned the Headmistress, “won’t Faragonda’s magic override the effects of the potion?” 

Griffin glared at Darcy with her piercing yellow eyes, causing the girl to recoil in fear. “That tea-loving, well-mannered fool may be strong, but she is not the most powerful fairy, especially considering she’s dealing with someone just as, if not more powerful than her.” The three young witches looked up at her, confused. Griffin groaned, “I brewed the potion myself, and my powers far surpass those of that fool. Got it!” 

Realization dawned on the witches as they nodded nervously and smiled wickedly to each other. 

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End of Part 1
> 
> Part 2 shall be posted soon! Thanks for reading this whole part 1 chapter, it was mostly dress shopping and having fun, but do not worry, part 2 is where ya'll know it gets action-packed while looking fabulous!


	8. Chapter 4: Save the First Dance Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for Alfea's Back to School Dance, but Bloom is feeling all but confident after her little excursion with the three witches. Now Bloom has to stop the witches from poisoning the freshman class, ruining the dance, and stealing Stella's powerful solaria ring, does she have it in her to save the day and receive a hero's welcome?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now to the thrilling conclusion! My girl Bloom has her first dance at Alfea (maybe even her first dance at all!) and a night like this will be one she won't forget!
> 
> Also, I'd like to think everyone who has worked with me on this story: Agnes Day, Kagami Rose, ArchCobra, and Nobu. Thank you guys! Love you all and enjoy part 2 of this chapter!

Chapter 4: Save the First Dance Part 2

Back in the dorms, Bloom hurried to her room and put on her newly bought dress. The floor-length fishtail ruby red dress hugged her body comfortably. She model-walked across the floor as her cat looked on.

“What do you think?” Bloom asked, turning towards Kiko. The cat answered with an eager meow before licking his paws; the redhead took that as a good sign. “Yeah, I think it looks great too. All I have left is to style my hair, makeup, and jewelry and I’ll be ready to sit at a table before spending the rest of the night washing dishes!”

“Don’t forget about the gift ceremony,” Bloom heard a voice say behind her, startling her.

“Holy shi-taki!” she exclaimed, stopping herself from cursing. She jumped around to face an equally startled Musa. “Oh, it's just you. Don't do that!”

“Oopsie! Sorry, but it’s always fun greeting people that way,” Musa said, only sounding a little apologetic. “Anyways, I’m glad you got a dress. It looks so nice on you. You're going to have to beat the guys off you with a stick when they see you in that.”

“Thanks.” Bloom laughed. “You don't look too bad yourself.”

Musa was wearing a baby blue long-sleeved dress with a fur collar and embroidered flowers across the dress, over a pair of dark blue tights and baby blue chunky high heels. 

“Aw, thanks,” Musa said, her eyes twinkling. “My grandma got it for me before I left for Alfea. It doesn’t look too cute, does it? Like I want to look cute, but not  _ too _ cute.”

Bloom’s eyes shifted around, unsure of how she could answer this for Musa, but clearing her throat she said, “It’s perfect for you.”

“Yeeees!” Musa squealed. 

“Was there anything else you needed?” Bloom asked, hoping she wasn’t sounding too impatient.

“First, I wanted to ask, what song did you submit for the dance?”

“'Shut up and Dance' by Walk the Moon,” Bloom answered, covering her eyelashes in mascara. “It was hard at first to send the song because I don't know how half this place works, but Tecna was able to help me out.”

“Huh, never heard of that,” Musa said admiring herself in the mirror. 

“Not surprising,” Bloom said. “What’d you pick?”

“‘Raindrops and Sunshine' by Jacquelin. It’s a festive song that I’ve listened to a billion times,” Musa said. “Everyone's gonna love it!”

“Cool,” Bloom said, closing the cap on her mascara. “What was the other thing you needed?”

“Oh, well, I was just wondering if you wanted to sit with us tonight?” Musa suggested. “I’ve already talked to Tecna, Stella, and Flora about us sharing a table tonight and hanging out. Since none of us have made any other friends yet.”

“I honestly don’t care where I’m sitting tonight since the rest of my night will be filled with the joy of washing dishes,” Bloom said bitterly. “But sure, I’ll sit with you guys.”

“Really?” Musa asked, her eyes widening in joy. “Oh, this’ll be the best night ever, I could almost sing.”

The blue-haired girl grabbed her hands and started bouncing in the air in excitement. Bloom just stood there, unsure of what to say. Her eyes shifted towards Kiko who simply just stared at the two girls like they were crazy. 

“Please don’t start singing,” Bloom said, struggling to extricate herself. “Now I really need to get ready, do you mind?”

“Of course, see you in the dance hall, bestie!” Musa said, letting go, but still continued to bounce on her toes. “Oh, thank you, Bloomie! This is gonna be the greatest night of your life, I swear.”

“Right,” Bloom said, taking a step back. “Anyways, I’ll see you there.”

“Totally,” Musa said, patting the redhead on the shoulder. “Also, if you’re ever feeling sad or stressed out just come talk to me. I’ll do whatever I can to help you, especially if it involves magic.” Musa winked before turning on her heel.

“I’ll remember that,” Bloom said smiling as the chipper girl went out the door. “See you in twenty minutes.”

***

As the students prepared for the big night, Icy, Stormy, and Darcy made their way to Alfea through the Enchanted Forest to enact their plan. It had been a quiet walk from the tower, and no one seemed too keen on breaking the silence until Darcy wearily tugged on the strap of her heel. 

“You didn't tell me we'd be walking all the way here. These heels are pinching my damn feet,” she complained.

“Do  _ not _ start your bitching, Darcy. I’m not in the mood for it,” Icy growled, rubbing her head. “Once we get the ring and rule, we can take chariots everywhere.”

“And then you can bitch whenever you want to,” Stormy mocked.

“Fantastic, but please tell me we're almost to the school,” Darcy whined.

“According to the map, we should be there in another few minutes or so. If that pleases you,” Icy said, keeping her eyes trained on the ring.

Darcy rolled her eyes as they silently kept walking. They arrived at a set of tunnels a few minutes later.

“Here it is! What did I tell you? They'll take a while to maneuver through, but these old tunnels have been abandoned for decades, back when they were connected to the three schools and used in emergencies.”

“Took us long enough,” Darcy grumbled under her breath. 

“Just take out the potion,” Icy demanded, annoyed. “The faster you do, the quicker we can get this done and head home!”

“The potion is far too valuable to waste on this event,” Darcy reasoned. “We might not even get the ring.”

“We have nothing to worry about! We’re the most powerful witches in Cloudtower!” Stormy yelled at her, offended. 

Icy pinched her nose in annoyance. “Stormy’s right, we can get more of that potion later, I guarantee ol’ Griffin has a dozen of those potions in her office. Just activate the damn potion!” 

Darcy shrugged and made her way to the tunnel entrance as opened the vial. “Release the secret of this liquid, cover us in shadows and secrets, to walk through these tunnels without being seen, to accomplish all our dreams.”

The liquid slowly evaporated and a whirl of dark clouds wrapped around the three girls. A faint light glowed around them before dying away.

“ _ All _ our dreams?” Stormy questioned, unimpressed.

“Give me a break, I’m still learning spellcasting!” Darcy said, annoyed. “Let’s go already.”

***

About an hour later, Bloom found herself standing with a large group of eager first-year students before the big doors leading to the banquet hall. Her outfit had been eloquently put together with a pair of black chunky combat boots and a skull hair clip placed on the side of her hair causing it to fall gracefully at her shoulders. Bloom looked forward to seeing the hall fully decorated since it would be her first time there. Even if standing outside, waiting for the doors to open made her shoes pinch her feet.

The banquet hall was a large room located behind Alfea with large windows that were being covered by curtains for the big dance.

As the redhead rechecked her reflection in her phone to make sure everything was in place, she heard a familiar voice shout behind her, “Fyrecracker, is that you? Fry mah hide, I've been lookin' for you ev'rywhere!”

“Why does everyone keep sneaking up on me?” Bloom grumbled, before facing Tecna. “I wasn't aware we're giving each other nicknames.”

“I only call you that ‘cause of your fiery attitude. You'll get used to it,” Tecna said, patting the girl on the back so hard she nearly knocked her off her feet. “By the way, you look fabulous.”

“Eh, I just put this all together; nothing to brag about,” Bloom said nonchalantly. “You cleaned yourself up well- wait, that didn't come out how I wanted it to.”

Unoffended, Tecna chuckled, waving her hand. “Thanks, gal.” She was wearing the same dress she’d picked out earlier, with a pair of black knee-high socks and oddly, a pair of black high-top sneakers. “I chose only the best for tonight's occasion.”

“Are you wearing bleeding sneakers to a dance?!” said another voice in shock.

Bloom turned and saw Stella, Musa, and Flora making their way through the crowd. Musa, who had a wide grin on her face, was in her dress with her hair styled normally into pigtails, except with two light blue scrunchies holding them together. She waved at the two girls eagerly.

Tonight, Flora had donned herself in a simple fuchsia mini dress with black nylon stockings and matching black flats with a strap around the ankle. She’d also flawlessly styled her hair to flow down her back with a curl at the bottom and a rose barrette.

Stella was wearing the jewel accented salmon dress she mentioned earlier, with her hair lightly curled and her fringe swept to the side. Bloom saw that the princess had gone a bit heavy on the purple eyeshadow, but all in all, she looked stunning. She also currently had the most scandalized expression on her face. 

“Stellar Stella, y’all found us and you makin' that outfit work girl!” Tecna complimented, snapping her fingers. “I see you noticed mah new kicks, knew people would notice them.”

“Th- this is a formal event, you know, not a place to wear sneakers,” Stella muttered, looking abashed. “It looks weird.”

“You say that like it's a bad thing,” Tecna laughed.

“I literally can't with you right now,” Stella said, putting a hand up. She took a deep breath to compose herself. “Tonight is going to be ace and I can't let your fashion faux pas ruin that.”

Tecna and Bloom stared at each other, sharing the same small smirk. Suddenly, the ping of a bell rang through the halls as the doors slowly opened. Eager students rushed in to see the hall in its full glory, but then they halted, staring in a mixture of amazement and shock, the stunned silence only being broken by Musa's exclamation, “This is so awesomerific!”

Several large round tables had been placed across the dance floor, each draped in gold or silver tablecloths. White and silver plastic plates were surrounded by white silverware, and wine glasses filled with a weird purple liquid, blue, pink, and green streamers and balloons, yellow small paper lanterns, and lit candles in different colors. A DJ station stood at the front of the dance floor and a drink bar was located on the side.

The girls began to walk around the room, the amazement still fresh on their faces.

“Elegance at its finest,” Stella said sarcastically.

At that moment, another set of double doors opened, and the staff entered. Faragonda stepped forward and clapped her hands adoring every centerpiece, utensil, and balloon adorned in the dance hall. “Everyone, take your seats.” She gestured to the eager first-year students.

As Bloom looked over at the staff, she saw that most of the staff were absolutely delighted at the décor, especially Faragonda, whereas Griselda had a serious yet aggravated expression.

“You know I was expecting them to do better this year,” Griselda said, rubbing her forehead.

“They did, Jeanie, this year they got a DJ station!” Faragonda cheered. “Whomever got the DJ station, meet me for tea tomorrow!”

“Yes!” Musa cheered.

The deputy sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “At least it’s tamer compared to last year. There aren't any live animals this time.”

Bloom couldn't help giggling as she found her seat amongst other chairs. Flora, Musa, and Tecna took three seats next to her. They all noticed individual pieces of paper on their dishes. As Bloom picked it up, she saw what was written on it, “Why does a squirrel swim on its back? To keep its nuts dry.”

“The freak?” the redhead found herself saying aloud. Bloom felt her cheeks heating up, turning the same color as her hair as she covered her mouth. The joke came off as both dumb and funny at the same time. She looked around at the other students, noticing the reactions were mixed.

Tecna's eyes widened once she fully read her slip of paper that had a different joke on it. “Fry mah hide, who thought of this smut?”

Flora raised an eyebrow at her joke, Musa struggled to hold back her laughter, and Stella only sighed, crumpling the paper into a tiny ball.

The reaction at the faculty table wasn't any better. Faragonda's mouth was wide open in shock, DuFour's face had practically turned the same color as her scarlet dress as her face contorted in a look of confusion and uneasiness, Palladium matched her expression while preventing his colleague, Wizgiz was trying not to fall over in laughter, and Griselda’s eyes widened trying to register whether to toss the card on the ground or burn it in her hand. She was forcing all her willpower to prevent herself from storming out of the room or searching for the culprit.

“Uh, Flora,” Bloom said to the brunette who was sitting next to her. “What task were you assigned, again?”

“Cutlery and wine glasses,” she answered, picking up a paper made fork. “You like 'em? They display a biodegradable elegance and refinement. Were you the one who came up with these “witty” jokes?”

“No, I have to wash dishes, remember?” Bloom replied. “Um, are these dances usually this… odd?”

“You bet,” Stella said, taking a seat in a chair across from Bloom. “Last year, I picked out these cute orange solar lights that illuminated the dance hall, everyone loved them… mostly everyone, anyway.”

“What about the ones who didn't?” Bloom questioned while cautiously appraising the purple liquid in her glass.

“Some complained they were too bright,” Stella chuckled, gazing at the clock for a minute. “Better than the chickens another student snuck in. I wanted to tell you it'd be rather weird tonight, but they informed the older students like myself not to say anything. Part of tradition, I gather.”

Bloom wanted to bring up how Stella was technically still a first-year student since she had to repeat but decided against it. Once Stella looked at the clock again, the redhead asked, “Why do you keep staring at the clock?”

“Just waiting,” Stella started, then stopped when the sound of marching feet could be heard. “Right on schedule as usual.”

“Who?” Bloom questioned.

The big double doors opened, and in marched dozens of Red Fountain students in unison, all, no matter guy or girl, clad in coal-black suits. Leading them was a very elderly looking man with long grey hair and a slight hunch in his back, walking with the support of a gold plated metal cane, its top fashioned with a dragon, from what Bloom could make out, the students behind him never halting or losing their step.

By his side marched a large, tall man, muscled and enormous, with short brown hair, bushy eyebrows, and a goatee-sideburn combo. Behind the first wave of Red Fountain students was a line of what Bloom assumed to be four other teachers, two leprechauns, a bald female, and a very tall and muscular male with a full beard and wild hair with the color of hay.

Bloom frowned when she recognized the blonde, Brandon, in the crowd.

“All right, ladies, go find your seats!” bellowed the massive brunette.

The students immediately rushed into position, splitting up in a less organized fashion, looking for their respective places. The Red Fountain staff made their way to the faculty table, the elderly man warmly greeting Faragonda, with the massive man giving Palladium a pat on the back that almost sent the elf face-first onto the table.

Once the faculty started chatting, everyone else did as well, friends chatting with friends, guys flirting with girls, and vice versa. A fairy with raven black hair went to the DJ station to start the music, and a random song started playing for fifteen seconds and went through eight curse words before Palladium and Griselda both rushed over to the station to stop the song.

Bloom couldn't help laughing as a plate of food was placed in front of her by one of the catering staff.

The deputy and teacher fiddled with the console, much to the annoyance of the fairy managing the booth and to the amusement of everyone else. Griselda fumed as she began to kick the DJ stand in frustration, not knowing how it worked.

Palladium pushed her out of the way before shooting through five songs that had either curse words or racy lyrics before coming across something more family-friendly. Once that amusement was over, the students moved around, talking, dancing, sharing drinks, and so on.

Bloom was ready to eat but warily inspected the food in front of her, missing her mother's home cooking or, at the very least, fast food. Bloom poked her meal with a fork. “I don't know whether to eat this or test it in a lab.”

“This is fun and all, but I’m going to talk to some hot guys. BRB,” Flora said, standing up and casually walking away.

“She’s right,” Stella said, slamming her fist down on the table. “Why are you eating when we’re at the bleeding Back to School Gala! We can’t just be sitting here staring at each other we should be having fun. Not to mention we have tons of blokes at our disposal.”

“Yeah, come on, Tecna, let’s dance!” Musa said, yanking the surprised magenta hair girl by her arm and leading her to the dance floor, where a few guys were occupying it with drinks in hand. Musa began swinging Tecna around the floor while shaking her hips energetically.

Bloom smiled, but once she saw Stella’s eyes on her she gulped. “I’d rather just-”

“I’m gonna stop you right there,” Stella said, grabbing the redhead by the arm. “I’m not letting you just sit here all night like I know you planned. I already know exactly whom to talk to.”

Her eyes shifted away from Bloom as she started staring at someone else with a dreamy look in her eyes. Bloom slowly turned around and spotted a familiar sight that only made her groan. Brandon and Sky were busy talking and laughing in a corner.

“Um, these shoes are hurting my fee- Hey!”

“I said we're talking to cute boys,” Stella commanded, jumping up and yanking the redhead along by the arm.

Bloom struggled for freedom while trying to reclaim her seat, but Stella remained unrelenting. 

“I don't want to!” Bloom whined. “They destroyed my house.”

“The ogre destroyed your house!” Stella exclaimed, exasperated.

“Yeah, well they took their precious time getting there,” Bloom pointed out.

“You’re such a broken record,” Stella complained. “When are you going to let that go? They're nice blokes, I promise. Give 'em a chance, for me, please.” Stella hit Bloom with the biggest set of puppy eyes she could muster, until Bloom finally pulled away, affected by how cute and pathetic the princess looked.

“Whatever, let's just make this fast,” Bloom relented. She wasn’t all that angry anymore - the damages had been fixed, after all - but that didn’t mean she wanted to spend any time with those guys. Okay, so maybe she was still a tiny bit annoyed; they really did take their sweet time that night. 

Stella squealed, then ushered Bloom over to the two guys. “Hi Brandon, hello, Sky,” the blonde greeted, with a slight flirtatious air.

“Hi,” both guys greeted back.

Bloom remained silent, glowering at the boys with her arms crossed for what felt like a minute until Stella elbowed her in the side. “…Hello,” she said, her eyes shifting towards Brandon.

Brandon took a step back and then placed Sky in front of him as a shield. “I’m happy you came to the gala, Bloom.”

“Yeah, wish I could say the same about either of you,” Bloom said curtly. “And you don’t have to worry, goldilocks, I’m not going to touch you again.”

“Goldilocks?” Brandon raised an eyebrow.

“It’s your hair. It’s yellower than Stellas,” Sky said, before taking a sip from his cup.

“It is  _ not _ ,” Brandon said, slightly offended. He then turned to Bloom, “Wait, you’re really not going to hurt me again?”

“Not at the moment, no,” Bloom shrugged. But there was a dangerous glint in her eye. 

“Um, okay,” Brandon said, scratching his head. Bloom couldn’t help but wonder what bodyguard or squire needed protection from the person he’s protecting.

“Ignore her, she's just messing with you. Good one, Bloom,” Stella said too brightly, letting out a forced laugh. “She is definitely grateful that you saved us, which is what they did, right, Bloom?”

“Technically,” Bloom admitted. She paused for a moment to compose her emotions then added, “I mean, thanks for sending some of those guys out to repair the house and stuff.”

“It’s the least we could do,” Brandon said. 

“Yup,” Bloom replied, crossing her arms.

“So… Stella, how have you been since we last met?” Sky asked, changing the subject. “Have you fought any ogres again?”

“Sadly, yes. The same one in fact,” Stella said with a sigh. “I'm pretty sure he was hired by some bleeding witches, although I have no idea who they are.”

“Dude, seriously?” the prince said, shocked. 

“It's in the past. Since you've brought it up, I happened to hear that your teachers weren’t too happy about you guys playing heroes,” Stella replied.

“They were pretty peeved off until we managed to get a word in and explained the situation. Once that was over, they just stayed pissed at Sky instead.” Brandon clarified. “This pal o' mine will have to be working in the stables for a week.”

Sky pouted. “Stupid stable cleaning.”

“So… Bloom, how are you doing?” Brandon asked the silent redhead. “Are you adjusting to everything?”

“It’s been a mixed bag,” Bloom replied. “Just last week, I got kidnapped by some witches and froze to a wall, got a cold from it. So, all in all, not too bad.”

Brandon’s eyes widened. “Oh. Um. Well, I'm glad you're okay,” he said.

“Whatever.” Bloom shrugged.

The moment became extremely awkward as the whole group went silent. Brandon wasn't sure of what to say next without feeling like he was putting his foot in his mouth, and Bloom just wanted to retreat to her table.

Sky's eyes shifted.

Stella pounded her fists together, but then they both shared the same expression. Stella motioned her head to the side and gave the boy a wink.

“You know what, Stella and I have to do this thing… somewhere else that isn't this… awkward,” Sky said nervously, creeping away from the nervous blonde and seemingly angry redhead. Stella followed suit.

Brandon grabbed his friend's arm, trying to pull him back, but the brunette was able to pull away and ran off. “Don't leave me here by myself,” he demanded in a desperate whisper. It was too late; Brandon and Bloom were left alone. Brandon faced Bloom, who avoided eye contact with him before he let an exasperated huff. “Oh, come on, are you really still mad at us?”

Bloom refused to reply. 

“I truly do understand the frustration of seeing your home destroyed and your friends and family getting hurt, especially by a boorish ogre, but you can’t keep blaming us for being late. We still saved you before something worse happened.”

“...That’s true,” Bloom admitted, letting her arms drop to her sides.

“Plus, we’ve- well, Prince Sky and I… well, just me- have apologized, and I feel truly guilty not getting there before anyone got hurt.” Clearing his throat, he went on. “So let me offer my apology again.” He cautiously stepped closer to Bloom. “I also apologize for the few days you’ve had. Don’t worry though, on my first week here I got lost in Magix for five hours after one of my roommates told me there was an arcade there.”

Bloom rolled her eyes. “Oh yeah, those are definitely one and the same.”

“It’s a little bit the same,” Brandon said nodding. “When Sky found me, I was stuck in some bar having accidentally gotten drunk from what I thought was regular iced tea.”

Bloom laughed, “Seriously?”

“Yes,” Brandon admitted blushing. “Plus, come on, you can’t be so mad at me when you look absolutely stunning tonight.”

“Are you trying to flatter me?” Bloom questioned with a raised eyebrow.

“Ma-aybe,” Brandon admitted. “Is it working?”

“A little.” Bloom shrugged, a small smile forming. “This doesn't mean we're instantly friends.”

“That's understandable, but I think we should at least start over,” Brandon held out his head. “I'm Brandon, a specialist-in-training, and I don't want to have my suit yanked again.”

“I'm Bloom, fairy-in-training and feeling somewhat generous so you don't have anything to worry about.” Bloom shook the nervous blonde’s hand with a shy smile, easing him. “So, goldilocks, tell me more about yourself.”

“Oh me? Well uh, I’m Squire to Prince Sky and I’m tasked with protecting him,” Brandon answered.

Bloom shook her head. “No, I don’t want to know your job, I want to know more about  _ you _ .”

Brandon paused, clearly not having expected that. “Oh… I like dragons,” he said with a wide grin. “I really like the extra scaly ones because when you ride them it feels like you’re a king straight out of history. Riding on your regal steed through the sky.”

“Wait, wait, wait, you’ve actually ridden a dragon?” Bloom asked, surprised.

“Yes, you haven’t?” Brandon asked, equally surprised, but when Bloom shook her head he nearly dropped his drink. “You’ve never ridden a dragon!”

“I’ve never seen one in real life!” Bloom exclaimed back.

“Get out of here!” Brandon cried. “It’s so awesome, you’re literally floating through the clouds, seeing every building and person in sight. And the people look like ants.”

“So, it’s like flying on a plane?”

“I- I- no!” Brandon exclaimed, causing Bloom to jolt before laughing. “It’s better than being on any aircraft. You can literally touch the clouds. Touch. The. Clouds.”

“Okay, calm down, Goldi,” Bloom said, patting the blonde on his shoulder. “I got it.”

“Sorry, I just love riding dragons so much. Next, you’re going to tell me you’ve never flown on a Pegasus.”

Bloom calmly took Brandon’s drink before saying, “I have not.”

Brandon’s mouth gaped open in shock. He wasn’t sure what to say next, but he seemed to forget Bloom was from Earth. “Right, you’re from the dirt planet where no magic exists. I learned about that, but how do you live without seeing a Pegasus or unicorn or dragon? It must be rough.”

“Yes, it is quite the burden to bear, but we learn to live with it,” Bloom said, deadpan, passing Brandon back his drink. “I’d rather see a dragon over being frozen to a wall.”

“Anything is better than that,” Brandon agreed. “I can’t believe they did that to you. Luckily, you were taken out of that mess or you wouldn’t be here, looking absolutely stunning.”

Bloom blushed. “Stop making me like you.”

Brandon nudged the redhead, “Already? I’m doing a good job.”

Brandon and Bloom laughed. As the two kept talking, Bloom’s eyes shifted to see Stella and Sky dancing together. Stella was focused on running her fingers through Sky’s hair, but once she spotted Bloom staring, she waved at her and then gave her a thumbs up.

“She seems to like you quite a lot,” Brandon said, noticing Bloom smiling. “From what I overheard from her and Sky, you’re her new bestie.”

“Pretty much,” Bloom shrugged. “It’s taking a while to get used to it.”

“I can imagine, don’t worry, she’s a tough cookie at first, but once you get to know her she’s a… less tough cookie.”

Bloom laughed again. “Gee, thanks.” She then sighed. “Brandon, let’s continue this conversation later after I get some air.”

“Okay, have fun with that,” Brandon said with a quick wave.

Bloom shook her head as she walked out the double doors into the hallway. She let out a sigh of relief once she was in an area with no other people around. While she was still somewhat annoyed with Brandon and his team, she realized holding a grudge forever wasn't any good and was glad they could have a nice conversation, but for right now she needed some fresh air. She just didn’t feel comfortable talking to a boy that long. 

She walked down the long hallway in silence, wanting time by herself after all the noise and awkward conversations. As she kept going down the long hallway, she spotted a large door. Curious, she opened it, finding dark tunnels she had never seen before. 

“Whoa,” she said in awe. “This reminds of the catacombs in France… which means there might be dead bodies in this school. Cool.” Bloom checked over her shoulder for anybody watching her before stepping through the doorway. She walked for a while through the dark, when suddenly she heard voices echoing in the darkness. Unsure of if she’d been hallucinating them, she froze, craning her neck to listen. As she leaned her head through the door the voices started getting louder. 

“Which way do we go now?” one voice whined. “We’ve been walking through these tunnels for hours!”

“Would you shut up, we’re almost there!” another voice shouted back. “You just keep whining; it's giving me a migraine.”

“Where do I recognize those voices from?” Bloom whispered, scratching her head. The redhead felt her heart race once the voices started to form a picture in her head.  _ Please don’t be them. _

She slammed the door and hid on the side before being met with the door coming close to her face and the voices closer to her now. It was them, the girls who froze her to the wall and nearly took Stella’s ring. The hot fire of anxiety began to burn in her chest again.

“So, this is Alfea,” Stormy said, appraising the place. “Not too bad.”

“We’re in the banquet hallway, you idiot,” Icy scolded. “Tell us where to go before someone spots us.”

Stormy groaned. “We have to make a right and there we’ll find the stupid gift chest.”

The three witches seemed to walk away as Bloom pushed the door away and quietly closed it. She stood still for a few seconds before tiptoeing behind them.

“Here they are, the Red Fountain gifts in all their stupidity,” Icy said before rubbing her hands together. “We've got some time, Darcy, you think you can track her ring?”

“With pleasure, sister,” Darcy said, holding up both her hands. “I even have a perfect spell for this.” The brunette closed her eyes for a second, then opened them to reveal them both glowing white as she recited a spell. “Illusion, show us the past, show us where she put it, show us where it is, show us where to find it.”

Slowly, an image began to manifest in front of the three witches, showing Stella staring at her ring, then placing it in her jewelry box.

Icy clapped in glee.

_ Crap, _ Bloom thought.

***

Meanwhile, at the Faculty Dining table, Faragonda sensed a disturbance from the doors of the catacombs, but couldn’t put her finger on why. It felt like foreign magic, something she was very familiar with. She looked around, looking for a way to get out without making a scene. 

But, as her seat was in the middle of the table, in full view of everyone, she slowly sat back down placing a hand on her chest. 

“Everything okay, headmistress?” Griselda asked in concern.

Faragonda mentally relayed a message to Griselda.  _ “Jeanie, someone has entered through the catacombs, I can’t tell if it’s one of the students or not, look into it and apprehend the intruders if needed.” _

“ _ Of course, Headmistress Faragonda _ ,” she replied mentally.

Slowly, Griselda made her way out of the room, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible.

***

“This will be like taking candy from a baby,” Icy smirked. “Your turn, Stormy, let's see what the boys got the fairies.”

“On it,” Stormy said, snapping her fingers and causing the treasure chest to open with ease. Inside the chest were eggs dyed pink, purple, or blue. Each girl cocked their heads confused.

Darcy picked one up and opened it causing little butterflies to appear.

'Butterflies?' Bloom thought. ‘Cute, but goofy.”

The witches didn’t seem to agree. 

“This is the cheesiest damn thing I have ever seen,” Darcy said, tossing the eggshell over her shoulder. “Enchanted eggs with butterflies - were bags full of glitter too much?”

“Simply tacky. I would want a guy getting me a spider or ingredients to make a dastardly potion,” Icy added in disdain. “No matter, once we're done with them, they'll be the most memorable gifts those losers ever receive. Ready, sisters?”

Darcy and Stormy nodded, then each girl raised their index finger at the treasure chest as Bloom stayed hidden behind the corner, watching frantically as the witches recited the incantation.

“Dark ancestors hear our chant, turn this enchanted gift into a curse that makes the victim puke their guts and gives them a bite.” As they spoke, a dark aura spread across each egg. “Change these butterflies into snake-rat eggs that hatch at the touch of a fairy's hand and spread panic, nausea, and terror across this dance!”

Bloom covered her mouth in shock. 

On the other hand, Icy, Darcy, and Stormy seemed deviously chipper, with their spell enacting well.

“Once they open those eggs, those pretentious fairies won't know what hit them,” Icy triumphantly said. “Well done, sisters, now let’s watch the melee before we take that ring.”

Icy cast a spell on the wall facing them to make them pass through easily, cackling along the way.

Once they were gone, Bloom rushed down the opposite end of the tunnel she went through, frantically saying, “Crap, crap, crap, crappity, crap, crap! Gotta find Stella!”

Bloom ran through the halls at full speed, ignoring the increasingly pinching feeling in her feet. On the way she ran past a furious Griselda, ignoring her. Griselda called out to her but to no avail, as the young fairy was far too worried to notice who she just ran past. She frantically searched for one of her flatmates, fretting at the same time she wouldn't make it in time. As she entered back into the dance hall, she bumped into Brandon's back.

“Watch where you're goin- oh it's you,” Bloom grumbled, rubbing her nose.

“Huh?” Brandon wondered, turning around. “Bloom, it's you, are you okay?”

“Of course, I am,” Bloom said, annoyed. “I'd love to chat but I gotta-”

Before Bloom could run off, Brandon grabbed her arm preventing her from leaving.

“Wait, I was hoping to ask you if you wanted to… to… uh.” Brandon nervously scratched his head.

“Spit it out, dude,” Bloom said, exasperated, moving her hand in a circle.

He cleared his throat, like he had done before, obviously nervous. “I was just wondering if you would do me the honor of dancing with me?” 

Bloom sucked in her bottom lip while staring at the flustered boy for a minute. Shaking her head to bring her focus back on what was important now, she desperately searched the crowd for Stella and finally spotted her talking with Flora, Musa, and Tecna.

“Uh, sure. Later, though, cause right now I got something to do. Peace!” Bloom said distractedly, racing past Brandon in a hurry while calling to her friends.

“Um… I'm going to take that as a yes,” Brandon called after her, a hesitant smile gracing his face.

“Girls, hey girls!” Bloom called, getting their attention.

“Bloom, darling, there you are,” Stella chirped, waving eagerly. “Where did you disappear off to?”

“Not important, I have to tell you something… important,” Bloom said, catching her breath. “I need to talk to you in the hall…way… I can’t breathe… and… I need something to drink.”

Musa held her drink out in front of Bloom, who grabbed it and took a long sip, emptying the glass.

“I needed that. That was delicious, can I have more of this?”

“Weren't you gonna tell us somethin'?” Tecna reminded the redhead.

“Oh, yeah, the thing!” Bloom remembered, her look of concern returning.

She ushered the four girls into the hallway and hastily filled them in on everything she heard from the three witches. “They're back, those witches are back!”

“What?” Stella screeched, then got hushed by Bloom. “This can't be real, what are they going to do?”

“Well, what happened was I heard them casting some weird spell on the gifts the guys are going to give us, apparently, they're some enchanted eggs that they changed into having snake-rats?”

“A snake-rat?” the girls exclaimed, shocked. Stella, Flora, and Musa paused for a moment then asked, “What's a snake-rat?”

“Ya'll do not want t' get close to one of them varmints,” Tecna said, her face contorted into a grimace. “I saw one of 'em when I went huntin' with mah older brother back home, first of all, it is one of th' ugliest life forms you'll ever see. They’re these small venomous swamp creatures that pack a mighty oda an' can cause a messy amount of projectile vomitin' with one bad whiff.”

“Thank you for the description, Tecna.” Stella squirmed. “I know why they're doing this, those evil witches are so jealous of us that they'd go so far as to destroy this big party. I bet they also wish they had a chance with the Red Fountain blokes.”

Bloom slumped her shoulders. “No, princess, the witches don't give two craps about going after the guys. They want to provoke a huge panic as a diversion to get your ring.”

Stella stomped her foot in frustration. “Bleeding omega, again!”

“That's quite the sneaky plan,” Musa said, rubbing her chin. “We've gotta stop those eggs from being handed out or the dance floor will be coated in vomit.”

“We're a little late on that.” Flora grimaced. “Look.”

Flora pointed behind the girls and they all saw Timmy and Sky carrying the chest with the eggs in them. The girls shared the same wide-eyed expression, speechless to say anything.

The guys calmly walked past them as Sky said, “We hope you like the gifts we brought ya.”

“Actually, those are-” Tecna started until Musa covered her mouth to say instead, “-Awesome, we can't wait!”

The guys casually walked away leaving the girls by themselves.

“Why?” Tecna snarled, pushing the blue-haired girl’s hand away.

“We can't cause a scene, that's what those pranksters want,” Musa explained.

“Musa's right,” Bloom agreed. “We have to think of something or the only “surprise” that's coming out of that egg is a cuddly snake-rat!”

“I got it!” Stella said, snapping her fingers. “We can do a counterspell, but we must all focus our energy on it fast! Girls form a circle. You too, Bloom.” Stella held out her hands waiting for the girls to join in, after a few seconds of reluctance they came together in a circle, holding hands.

“Good. Repeat after me: What it once was, let it be again, let all the dark magic be reversed,” Stella recited.

“What it once was, let it be again, let all the dark magic be reversed,” the girls said together.

The girls, except for Bloom, began glowing with their own unique aura. Flora had a soft, pink and green aura, flowing like vines wrapping around her whole body. Musa had a bright purple aura - it looked like she had hundreds of thin, fluctuating rings up and down her entire body. Tecna had a purple and lime aura, sparking around her entire body like electrical shocks. Stella had a golden and silver aura, emitting from her like a warm glow. 

Bloom closed her eyes so she didn’t notice this. All she thought was having a peaceful, fancy party, and having her new friends all around her. Bloom felt the fire rising in her chest as she focused on those thoughts. 

“Make the eggs like they were before, take away this dastardly curse!” Stella finished.

The girls followed suit: “Make the eggs like they were before, take away this dastardly curse!”

As she said this, Bloom could feel a little bit of the fire escaping from her hands. She opens her eyes and sees that her hands are glowing, along with the rest of them. She looks up to see the rest of the girls glowing in their respective colors. She also noticed that their eyes were also glowing in the same colors, unaware that her own was glowing orange. A smile crept onto her face and the glowing in her hands intensified and started to spread to the rest of her body.

A wisp of light formed from the circle, then launched to the chest, returning the eggs back to normal without anyone seeing a thing. Sky and a few other specialists picked up an egg and handed it to some giggling girls. The fairies opened them, and colorful butterflies came out instead of the snake-rats.

The girls looked on and let out a sigh of relief as more eggs were opened, with butterflies flying out.

“This is so sweet!” One of the girls exclaimed.

“Thank goodness that worked,” Bloom said, putting a hand on her chest. “This deserves a high-five!”

Bloom lifted her arm, preparing for one of the girls to follow suit and high-five her back but was only met with quizzical stares making the redhead remember they probably didn’t know what she was doing.

“Yeah, high-five!” Musa shouted, slapping Bloom’s hand.

“Yeah, we just playin’,” Tecna said, chuckling and slapping palms with Musa and then Flora. “We done good, girls.”

“I can’t believe I actually did it again,” Bloom said, staring at her hands. “My magic is getting… better.”

“It’s because you’re totally confident right now,” Flora said high fiving Bloom. “Come on, let’s head back before someone notices we’re gone.”

She and the others walked back into the room and were greeted each with an egg except for Stella.

“Oh, thank you!” Musa thanked gleefully.

“Gee, thanks,” Tecna said, passing the egg over to Musa, uninterested. The auburn-haired boy with glasses took offense to that and walked off annoyed. “Hey, cowboy, don’t walk away from me with that disgusted look.”

Tecna chased after the boy making the girls shake their heads.

“I hope this egg brings you lots of luck, Stel,” Sky said, handing the blonde princess an egg.

“Awe, Sky,” she said, suspiciously taking it. She bumped her hip against Sky, making him blush. “I have a good feeling that it will soon enough.”

Stella ushered the girls back out into the hall then showed the egg to Flora. “Flora… are you, by any chance, thinking what I'm thinking?”

Flora put her hands on her hips. “Why aren’t juniper berries used more for modern medicine?”

“N-no,” Stella said, confused. “Come here.”

Stella whispered in Flora’s ear making the girl grin ear to ear. “Oh, that, I’m totally thinking the same thing now. Thanks to that article from Teen Fairy you showed me last night.”

“It's all yours then.” Stella tossed Flora the egg.

Flora held the egg in one hand and then casually waved her other hand over it while whispering a spell that Bloom couldn't understand. Once the brunette was done, she held out the egg in front of the group. “Ta-da, we have nothing to worry about, let’s get back to the party.”

“What did you just do to that egg?” Bloom asked, warily staring at it.

“Trust me, you'll find out soon enough,” Flora said with a mischievous smile. Something Bloom never thought she’d see.

“Cool, well I’m headed back to the room,” Bloom said, yawning. “Want to relax for a bit, before I’m washing dishes all night.”

“Oh Bloom, don’t you want to stay? Our gifting ceremony to the boys starts soon,” Stella said, pouting. “You don’t want to miss it.”

“I think I can afford to,” Bloom said, turning on her heel. “Don’t worry, I’ll be back in fifteen minutes, promise. I’ve just… had enough for tonight.”

“All right, hurry back, love,” Stella said with a wave. 

Bloom waved back before quietly leaving the banquet hall.

***

While Bloom left the banquet hall, Icy, Stormy and Darcy were secretly watching the party, waiting for the prank to go through, only to witness it fail as each fairy happily opened their non-snake-rat eggs.

Angrily, Icy froze the surrounding vegetation, then shattered it with her hands. “This is bullshit, I… I can't believe that spell didn't work!” she screamed, stomping on the ice fragments. “Our spells always work!”

“When I find out who did this, I'm breaking their arm,” Stormy threatened, clenching her fist.

“Would you two calm down?” Darcy said, putting a hand on each girl's back. “This is just one minor misstep; we still have time to get the ring.”

***

As the girls celebrated their gifts (and victory for Bloom’s flatmates), Griselda made her way to the tunnel again where the gifts were held, although she could sense dark energy in that area, she couldn’t sense where it was coming from.

Griselda inspected the chambers and a shimmering wall caught her attention. She reached for it and in a flash, her hand phased past it. A spell had been cast over the wall and it was still fresh. 

“What?!” She asked herself, confused.

She dispelled the wall and followed the trail of dark energy to its source.

***

Bloom pushed the door to her room open and turned the lights, revealing Kiko cuddled on one of her pillows, peacefully sleeping. The redhead took off her boots and tossed them to the side. “Jesus Christ, those things were crushing my feet,” she said, rubbing her aching toes. “I just need fifteen minutes, that’s all. That’ll give me enough time to grab Stella’s ring and bring it to her… wherever it is. I’m not sure what Flora did, but it’s probably not enough-”

She suddenly got interrupted by Kiko lifting his head from the pillow and meowing softly in greeting. Bloom patted his head while cooing, “Mommy can't play right now, just go back to sleep.” She was about to leave the room when she saw the princess’ jewelry box, floating from her room towards the open door. She gasped then chased after it.

“Get back here, floating jewelry box!” she screamed before pausing. “That's another thing I never thought I'd say… this is a weird night. I'm doing so much goddamn running tonight!”

“Those witches must've already put a spell on it,” Bloom said to herself. “I gotta try to stop it. Um, let me think: One, two, three, stop there ring! Four, five, six, stop in a… fix… Oh God, that sounded lame!”

As the box kept floating in mid-air, it began to open and dropped to the floor leaving only Stella's ring case. “Come the freak on! How is this getting stranger!?”

The ring box slowly floated outside, going directly for the impatiently awaiting witches.

“I see the ring,” Icy said, looking at the sight. “But there's someone coming after it.”

Bloom was so focused on catching the ring box that she ignored the fact she was barefoot; she wasn't going to let some thieves take someone else's ring and with all her might, she caught the ring.

“She got the ring… she got the ring!” Icy raged. “I'm going to take that ring out of her hands and then turn her into a keychain like I should've done the last time!”

“Don't leave us out of this,” Darcy said, taking her sister's hand.

Stormy followed suit and together they formed a giant mist.

“Huh, that was easy. Good job, Bloom,” Bloom happily said, patting herself on the back. She gleefully walked back to the building with the ring box in her hand when she felt a looming presence approaching her. When she turned around, she nearly dropped the ring box. “Oh no, not them again.”

***

“Where is Bloom?” Stella wondered, nibbling on her nail. “She should've been back by now. Do people rest for a long time?”

Stella, Flora, Tecna and Musa had been waiting in the hall for Bloom to return, she had already been gone for ten minutes, which wasn't good since the gift-giving ceremony for the girls’ side would be starting soon.

“She could be taking a nap,” Flora suggested. “She did say she was tired.”

“Yeah, but I feel like she’s in trouble, I can feel it,” Stella fretted, putting a hand over her chest. “What if she's in trouble? We can't let her get hurt. If we sneak out-”

“Young ladies,” Faragonda called. “It's time to offer our gifts, every student should be in here, and will Musa Tori please come up to the DJ station to sing her song.”

“What's the word Bloom used earlier?” Tecna asked Stella.

“Crap,” Stella answered.

“Oh, fudgin’ crap,” Tecna repeated, covering her face.

“Girls, after Musa’s finished singing, can I talk to you for a moment,” Griselda ordered, walking past the girls who froze in fear.

“Tonight… just keeps gettin’ betta,” Tecna mumbled.

***

Back outside, Bloom slowly backed away from the furious looking witches who had a dark aura emanating from them. The redhead fearfully brought the small box closer to her chest.

“Well, well, well, if it isn't the little earthling ginger fairy,” Stormy insulted. “We meet again.”

“Are you disappointed about that, too?” Bloom insulted back, clutching the box. “I healed up from that little frostbite you gave me.”

“Still remember being frozen I see,” Icy snarked. “Don’t worry, this time you won’t even remember your name.”

“Oh, ominous,” Bloom said, continuing to back away from the witches.

“Let's not make this difficult, whatever your name is,” Icy said with a deadly calm tone. “Just hand over the ring box and we won't hurt you.”

“Well… much,” Stormy said mischievously, cracking her knuckles.

“Girls, girls, let's not fight, I mean why would you want this dumb ol' ring anyways?” Bloom said, trying to save her some time. “How important can it really be?”

“Trust me, fairy, that ring is more important than you think,” Icy said, manifesting a blue glow from her fingers. “And it's best for you to hand it over to us, now!”

“I can't really do that, you see, Stella kind of needs it and I'd rather not hand it over to girls who look like they're about to snap me in half,” Bloom said. She couldn’t let them see how afraid she was, so she willed her legs to stop trembling.

“Snap you in half?” Stormy sneered. “You wish.”

“Look, if you want the damn ring, you’ll have to catch me,” Bloom said before breaking into a run.

The witches stared at each other for a second and then brought up the same menacing smile.

Icy brought up her hand and said, “Have it your way: Ice Path!” With that, she shot a beam onto the ground, causing ice to approach Bloom at a quick speed, but she managed to dodge out of the way in time while still holding the case.

“Nice dodge, but can you avoid this? Heel of Oblivion!” Darcy shouted, stomping her foot onto the ground, creating a crevice to open across Bloom's feet that made her stumble. “Finally, I got to do something!”

Bloom cried out and pulled her foot out, feeling a sharp pain spiking through it, but this didn't stop her from holding on to the box.

“I got this part,” Stormy smirked. “Mighty Twister!”

A strong column of wind formed around the frantic redhead, lifting her into the air. Bloom screamed as her body was thrown around inside the tornado. After what felt like forever, the tornado began to dissolve as she was in mid-air and dropped her back first onto the hard cobblestone ground.

Bloom grabbed her knee in pain, seeing numerous cuts and scrapes around it. “I really hate you!” she seethed.

“I know,” Icy mocked, waving a hand and levitating the ring case that had fallen beside Bloom. “That was entertaining, but we'll be taking this from you.”

“You can't,” Bloom choked out, futilely reaching for the box.

“Oh, we can,” Icy harshly said. “Face it, you're defenseless, little fairy.”

“No powers.” Stormy snickered.

“No friends to save you. In other words: You. Are. Useless,” Darcy added.

“I'm shocked you even got into this school, you don't have any powers at all,” Icy chided. “That'll make it easier for me to kill you.”

“You're wrong, I have powers,” Bloom whimpered, holding down her head.

This only made the witches cackle hysterically, as the box came closer to them, Icy knew it was her time to eliminate Bloom. “Sisters, may I do the honors?”

“Go ahead,” Stormy offered.

Icy calmly walked towards Bloom, the box now in her hands and a plain yet vicious expression on her face. Bloom struggled to crawl away from her, but Icy simply grabbed her arm. “Goodbye, little fairy.” Icy's hands became colder while ice slowly went around Bloom's arm.

She knew this ice witch was going to turn her into an ice sculpture again and that would mean she would crush her afterward. Bloom's arm trembled and shivered to break free as she felt a warm energy going through her body. She held down her head, snarling, struggling to break free.

Clenching her fist, she said, “I am not weak. I am not useless. I have powers. I am a fairy and I will not die from you, witch!” She kicked Icy in the stomach, sending her flying backward.

_ ‘You’ve got this,’ _ Bloom heard a voice say in her head, but it wasn’t her own. It was someone calmer, more sure, and she listened to it with everything she had left. _ ‘Now, use that energy.’ _

Bloom used all her strength to stand back up. Her ankle still hurt, but the ice-cold touch the witch tried to use on her was gone. She could feel a strong warmth emitting from her hands; she stared at them, breathing heavily. A fire was brewing inside her, and she was ready to use it.

“You wanna fight? Okay, let's fight,” Bloom said, fire starting to form around her fingers. “I may be new to this, I may not know how to control my powers and I may be new to this whole world, but you're not going to turn me into some statue again.”

“Look at this, the little girl is growing a spine,” Stormy jeered, unafraid. “You're just all talk.”

“I am not all talk!” Bloom yelled, hurling a fireball towards the unsuspecting witch who ducked out of the way. “That's a new one.”

“No matter, we'll still defeat you,” Icy said, standing back up, launching a chunk of ice at the girl.

Bloom caught it with ease and the ice ball melted between her fingers, turning into water. She confidently said, “Hm, what else you got?”

“What's happening? She went from pathetic to fire?” Darcy asked, taking a step back.

“I guess I'm not as useless as you thought,” Bloom said, checking her nails. “Before you have any other stupid retorts, I’m not backing down, and I’m not letting you take Stella’s ring. I am a powerful fairy no matter what you say, and my name is Bloom!”

As Bloom said that, her hair started glowing as an equally bright light covered her entire body for a few seconds. Bloom stared down at herself, then smiled, and just like it had with the other girls, Bloom emerged wearing a new outfit.

Her red dress had turned into a sparkly light blue heart-shaped cropped halter top with an oval-shaped jewel on the center of her chest, matching light blue shorts covered by a miniskirt with red underneath the skirt and light blue and red striped ankle boots. Her hands were covered in matching long fingerless gloves that went around her forearms. Her teal wings were similar to a butterfly’s. Once the transformation was over, Bloom looked over herself in surprise.

“Wow, it actually worked! Odd choice of clothing, but it won't stop me from fighting,” Bloom said, tugging at her skirt. “So, where were we?”

“You think changing into a trampy little outfit will stop us?” Icy sneered.

“Trampy, bimbo, you talk weird, ice bitch,” Bloom said, moving her hand in a talking mouth motion. “Let’s fight instead.”

Darcy stepped up, holding her hands out at her sides. “I got this one: Vertigo!”

Darcy's spell made everything around Bloom contorted and blurry. The area gave the redhead a headache; she covered her eyes to avoid getting dizzy. “It's just a trick. I can handle this; I just have to focus,” Bloom thought about what to do when she heard her wings flapping. She bit down on her lip with hope. “Please let this work.”

Bloom focused all her strength into her wings and was able to get a few feet in the air, flying out of the trance-like area.

“Ha, is that all you got? Making me a little dizzy?” she taunted, sticking out her tongue.

Darcy growled, clenching her fist.

“Aw, are you mad?” Bloom taunted, feeling another fireball forming in her hand. “Let's see if you can dodge another fireball!” Bloom effortlessly tossed another fireball at Darcy, nearly burning her hair off. “What should I call those, fiery inferno? Blasting witch ball? Totally awesome blaze! The ideas are limitless.”

The witches groaned, annoyed.

“Let's see if you can face a Hectic Hurricane!” Stormy shouted, launching a hurricane of wind towards the redhead, who could avoid the wind storm this time with a quick sweep of her wings.

She dropped a few feet but still managed to stay in the air. “Aw, I guess your little windstorm couldn't hurt me this time,” Bloom teased. “Do you want to come a little closer with a bullseye? You might be able to get me.”

“Shut up, you… jerk!” Stormy stammered, thrown off.

“I hope you two aren't getting offended by some freshman fairy,” Icy critiqued. “I mean, a weakling gains a couple wings, and she gets some attitude.”

“Something like that,” Bloom said, struggling to stay in the air. As she kept floating, her memory of the witches started coming back; it wasn’t a lot, but it was enough to anger the witches. “Listen, Icy, Darcy, Stormy, was it? Oh god, I forgot that was two of your names!” Bloom started laughing, angering Icy and Stormy. “Whew, anyways, just hand over Stella's ring, so I don't have to beat you up?”

“I have had it with you!” Icy groaned. “Arctic Blast!”

A strong gust of icy cold wind went through the air towards Bloom, sending her flying back into some shrubs.

The witches maliciously cackled, then Icy confidently levitated the ring box back over to her and snatched it into her hands. “We got the ring; let’s get the omega out of here!” 

The witches came together, then Icy snapped her fingers, teleporting them back to the school. After they were gone, Bloom crawled out from the bushes, dizzy. She was still in her fairy form, with a few branches stuck in her hair. She saw the witches were gone and stomped her foot in anger.

“I almost had them! But I also have fire powers, or is it element powers, elemental?” Bloom pondered. “Eh, doesn't matter, this is still freaking awesome!”

_ ‘Good job,’ _ the voice congratulated her.

“Bloom! Bloom!” Bloom heard a voice call to her while doing her victory dance. She turned around to spot Stella and her other flatmates racing towards her.

“You finally made it!” Bloom called back, throwing her hands up. “Where the hell were you guys?”

“We couldn't get away from the headmistress,” Stella explained, facing the redhead. “And it's not like we could just tell her those witches snuck onto school grounds… oh my Solaris, you transformed! You actually transformed!”

“Yup, it wasn't that hard,” Bloom proudly said, wiping the dust off her glove. “This whole outfit will take a while to get used to, but I can make it work.”

“Totally,” Flora complimented.

“You look great; I love your wings,” Musa added admiringly.

“Are you okay?” Stella asked.

“Yeah, I'm fine. I had to fight them, but it was a piece of cake,” Bloom said nonchalantly.

“You took them on all by yourself?” Stella exclaimed.

Bloom nodded.

“How was it?” Tecna asked, intrigued.

“I grew wings, shot fire from my hands, and melted ice, so it was pretty awesome,” Bloom couldn’t help but brag. “They didn't even see it coming!”

“That's absolutely brill; congrats, Bloom!” Stella cheered, hugging the girl. “Oh, I'm so proud of you!”

“Thanks, Stella, but the only problem is that I wasn't able to stop them from taking your ring,” Bloom sadly admitted. “I'm sorry.”

Flora laughed. “They don't have it, silly. Remember about the Spell of the Month I got from Teen Fairy?”

“I'm not sure it worked,” Bloom said.

“Oh, trust me, it worked perfectly,” Flora said, putting her arm around the redhead. “Now, let's focus on something more important. You're probably going to need help de-transforming; I think we can help you.”

“Yes, please,” Bloom laughed as she and the group headed towards the dorms. “I really don't wanna head back to the party wearing this.”

“So this is what you were up to,” Bloom heard a voice behind her say. She turned away nervously only to be met with the displeased-looking Griselda.

“When did you get here?” Bloom asked, before whispering to her flatmates. “Has she been here the whole time?”

“I walked over a moment ago and well, I think you girls have a lot of explaining to do,” Griselda said, sounding aggravated. “Starting with your transformation.”

“Oh crap,” Bloom said, causing Griselda’s eye to twitch.

***

Icy, Stormy, and Darcy reappeared in their dorm room, feeling groggy and exhausted. Icy kept the ring box close to her chest as she fell over on her bed.

“Shit, that was way worse than last time,” she huffed.

“No, really?!” Stormy angrily chided. “At least you didn't have to avoid a fireball hurled at your head. That ginger nearly burned my hair!”

“Stop complaining; it could've been worse,” Icy reasoned, sitting back up. “If I hadn't used my powers, she might've hit you in the face.”

“Let's not focus on that,” Darcy said, sitting down on her bed. “Icy, are you going to open the box anytime soon?”

“Oh… right, the ring,” Icy regained her sinister composure. She placed the small blue box in front of her. “Finally, the ring of Solaria. Ultimate power will now be min- I mean ours! Ha, ha, ha!”

“Would you open it already?” Stormy ordered impatiently.

Icy carefully opened the box but was confused when she found an egg inside the case instead of a ring. Icy picked the egg up and shook it.

“An egg? Why would she hide a ring inside this? Something is in here, that's for sure,” Icy cracked the egg open only to be met with a bright light illuminating the room for a split second. When it dissolved, the whole room was filled with tons of vines wrapped around the witches and everything in their place. They struggled to break free from the vines. 

Although that made them angry, especially the already fuming Icy, what really disgusted them was the creature that came from the egg soon after. They all screamed in horror.

Stormy averted her eyes from the creature. “Ew, it’s so disgusting!” 

“I think I’m gonna puke,” Darcy said, trying to squirm away from the creature.

It was a tiny purple duck that waddled over to Icy, identifying her as his new mother. “Quack, quack,” the creature said. 

Icy immediately crawled away from the duck, who had imprinted on her. She attempted to run away from the duck but toppled to the ground. Icy squirmed as the duck hugged her. “I hate it! I hate cute!” 

“Okay, vines I can take, but that thing,” Stormy used her free hand to point at the duck. “That is just cruel.”

“Get it off of me!” Icy cried, struggling to break from the vines. “Those damn fairies!”

***

“So, if I’m not mistaken, these three witches, snuck into the school through the ancient tunnels? Cursed the gifts from Red Fountain? Which you then reversed? And they also came to steal Miss Davenwood’s ring? And then you fought them all on your own?” Griselda asked Bloom rapid-fire as they walked to the front entrance of the dance hall.

“Uh, pretty much,” Bloom replied. She had transformed back into her party dress, wearing her boots with her cuts and bruises all healed up, thanks to a potion Griselda had given her.

“And are you sure that you are telling me the truth?” Griselda confirmed.

“If she wasn’t she wouldn’t have said it!” Musa snapped at the deputy headmistress.

The girls stared at Musa surprised, but the blue-haired girl simply shrugged. Even she was getting annoyed by Griselda and that was saying a lot.

Griselda looked flustered at first, then finally she sighed. “Go…go enjoy the party.”

Musa jumped with joy. “Really?!”

Griselda rolled her eyes and grit out, “Go. Before. I. Change. My. Mind!”

The girls all briskly walked away, and after they were far enough away, broke into a run, laughing.

“What did you do to that egg anyways?” Bloom asked Flora, smiling.

“When Stella handed me the egg, I was able to change it into a little vine wrapping with a bigger surprise,” Flora explained to Bloom as they all headed back to their table.“There was no need to grab it; you should’ve just relaxed, girl,” Flora said, her arm around the girl's shoulder. “We appreciate you fighting back, though.”

“Well- You know- It was nothing,” Bloom said, blushing. “Those witches are going to be in for quite the surprise, and we finished in time to get back to the dance. What did I miss?”

“Not much,” Flora answered. “The red fountain students were given their gifts, Faragonda asked Musa to sing to them.”

“Which I recorded for you,” Musa interrupted happily.

Flora giggled. “Right, also Prince Sky flirted with Stella and Brandon pestered us about where you were, that's about it.”

“She's correct,” Stella agreed. “Tonight has been ace! Saved the party while looking fabulous.”

“You're not wrong, princess,” Bloom said. “I can honestly say this day was truly amazing; I actually transformed!”

“Don't forget you're rockin' that dress,” Flora complimented.

“Thanks.” Bloom smiled. “You don't look too bad yourself.”

The group arrived back at the party without anyone paying attention to them. As they went back to their table, Bloom caught Brandon glancing her way. He seemed to be nervously staring at the ceiling by himself. 

“Look at him over there,” Stella said, noticing it as well. “He’s like a lost puppy.”

Bloom shrugged.

“Love, it’s obvious he wants to dance with you.”

“How do you know that? He might just be deep in thought and doesn’t want to be disturbed,” Bloom reasoned stubbornly.

Stella raised her eyebrow, knowing the redhead was lying. “You promised me you'd give him a chance, and this is the perfect time.”

Lights on the dance floor started to dim as the DJ played a slow song. Brandon glanced at Bloom one more time; then his eyes shifted back towards the ceiling.

Stella nudged Bloom eagerly, causing her to relent.

“I hope he doesn't step on my feet,” she mumbled, walking over to him. She tapped him on the shoulder while he was still staring at the ceiling. “Hey. Again.”

“Hello,” the blond greeted back, keeping his eyes on the glass dome ceiling.

“Anything interesting up there?” Bloom asked, staring at the ceiling with him.

“Uh, well, did you notice the glass on the dome illuminates the moonlight at just the right spot?” Brandon asked. “I forgot it did that.”

“Yeah… that’s pretty amazing,” Bloom said. “Anything else?”

“No, not really,” Brandon said, slowly taking his eyes off the moon illuminated ceiling. “Uh, you know you owe me a dance. It's okay if you don't want to, I know you're probably still mad at me - which I’m fine with - well, not really, but I understand….” The blonde paused as the redhead stared at him, confused.

Bloom shook her head, a small smile on her face. “Let's do this, big guy.” She took Brandon's hand, leading him to the dance floor. Bloom placed her hands onto Brandon's shoulders, and they began to dance. “A few rules; make sure to keep your hands at my waist, not below or above, and don’t try anything fresh.”

“Yes sir- I mean ma'am- I mean Bloom,” Brandon stuttered nervously. “I'm being dumb, aren't I?”

“Dumb? No, a little goofy? Maybe. It's fine, though,” Bloom reassured, blushing slightly. 

“Th- thank you.” Brandon smiled. “I have to be honest with you; I thought you'd say no, to a dance. I mean, you did run away when I asked you the first time.”

“About that, I kind of got caught in a sticky situation… it's a long story that I'd rather not explain while we’re dancing,” Bloom said apologetically.

“Oh, okay, well, you aren't going to run away again, are you?” Brandon half-joked, tugging her closer to him.

“I won't, I promise, specialist-in-training,” Bloom joked.

Brandon chuckled before effortlessly twirling Bloom.

“Hm, you're not too bad a lead.”

“Thank you,” Brandon nodded. “Earth girl.”

Bloom chuckled. “Where are you from, goldilocks?”

“The realm of Eraklyon. A nice, peaceful place with nice temperate weather,” Brandon answered. “It’s quite an enjoyable spot if I do say so myself.”

“Mm-hm, it sounds nice,” Bloom said, enjoying his conversation. She wasn't sure how to feel about the new guy, but she had to admit she was warming up to him. “Might check it out sometime.”

“Whenever you do, I’ll be your personal tour guide,” Brandon said with a wink causing Bloom to giggle again. “So, do you like Alfea? Feeling at home?”

Bloom thought about that question for a moment, nibbling on her lip before answering, “I don't feel at home quite yet, but I'm starting to get used to this place.”

End of Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End of Part 2!
> 
> Wow, awesome right? I think it was, but again I'm biased, it's not as good as the show, but I liked it. Lol. Anyways time for schedule, chapter 5 will be posted soon, but my beta is on vacation and I have to do a ton of edits so it'll be a while but do not worry it'll be out and you're going to loooove it! Hopefully, at the very least you'll like it! lol Thanks so much for being patient with me and waiting out while I went through hell at home. I'm sorry for the wait, but I love you guys, and thank you!
> 
> Also hope you enjoy Fate: The Winx Saga, I think it'll be pretty good :)

**Author's Note:**

> Have a good day!


End file.
